Buried Under Sand
by Flaming Moth
Summary: Lilly and Oliver are in love, but when Miley shows Lilly her true feelings, things get turned upside down.  Will Miley eventually win the girl's heart?  Told from Lilly's POV.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimers:** I don't own _Hannah Montana_ or anything else related to the show. I'm just using them for the purpose of this fictional tale. I promise to give them back safe and sound. If you can, please review. If not, then I hope you at least enjoy reading this. Now, on to the story!

**B****URIED ****U****NDER ****S****AND**

"Okay guys, that was a great rehearsal! Same time tomorrow. Don't forget and don't be late. I'm talking to _you_, Matt!"

I pointedly looked at my band's lead guitarist and pretended to give him a stern look. He turned and gave me a mock salute from where he was standing in front of my drum set, just off to the right and holding the neck of his guitar in his left hand. I couldn't help but break out into a smile as I made the motion of throwing the drumstick from my right hand at him, not actually doing so. He flinched and half-ducked, which caused my smile to grow even wider.

He straightened himself out and said, "Geez, Lilly! Just kill me with that thing, why don't you!"

I raised my eyebrow, the smile never leaving my face. "Matt, I didn't even throw it so stop acting like such a drama queen."

I glanced at the watch on my wrist, seeing that it was already 5:30. I put my drumsticks down and stood up from the stool I was sitting on. As I stretched out my back and legs, the other members of my band, including Matt, put up their instruments in their respectful places in my garage, where we have been practicing almost everyday for the past 3 months. We haven't done any gigs or received any offers to play anywhere yet, which was fine with me. It's mostly been just us hanging out and having a good time, getting used to the idea of playing as a group.

The idea of starting a band came from Oliver Oken, my boyfriend who I've been going steady with for 7 months now. Actually, the whole band thing started out as a joke between us. I've been playing the drums since I was 14 (I'm now 18) and while I'm not trying to come off as bragging, I'm pretty darn good at it. Oliver, on the other hand, can't play an instrument even if the fate of the world depended on it. He has a great singing voice though and I love it whenever he sings to me. It just melts my heart and I fall in love with him all over again. I can't help it. I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.

Anyway, one day we were sitting down at one of the tables next to Rico's Surf Shop with our best friend, Miley Stewart, and Oliver made a crack that he and I should start a band, that way we wouldn't be left in the shadows of Miley's alter ego, Hannah Montana. Laughing, I dismissed that thought as being silly, not able to see it ever happening. Miley piped up just then and said we should go for it. Oliver could be the singer and I could be the drummer. She, or rather Hannah, knew of some guys who played guitar and bass and if we wanted, she could ask them if they wanted to join us. Oliver and I exchanged glances, silently agreeing with our eyes and turned back to Miley, giving her our approval. About 2 weeks later, Matt Smith joined us as the lead guitarist, along with Jay Harris, who would play rhythm guitar, and Sean Jenkins, a bass player.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I felt a hand snake its way around my waist, finally settling on my right hip. Already knowing who it was, I smiled and looked up into Oliver's soft hazel eyes, twinkling from the lights in my garage as he stood next to me. "Can I help you, Oliver?"

He just smiled and gave me a gentle kiss on my left cheek. "I'm just admiring how beautiful you look right now."

My heart soared and I turned in his grip as I put my arms around his neck. He moved his hand from my hip to the small of my back and put his other hand there as well, clasping them together as he pulled me closer. I leaned my head upwards, closing my eyes as our lips met in a soft, slow kiss. I could hear the others making gagging noises and without breaking the kiss, I removed my right hand from its grip on Oliver and stuck out my middle finger as I gave them the Hawaiian "good luck" sign. This got them to start chuckling, but they stopped with the gagging sounds. As I brought my hand back, I gently pulled away from the kiss and looked into Oliver's eyes again, not releasing him from my hold just yet.

I turned my head to look at the other members and said, "Okay, okay, show's over! Now get on out of here. I know you guys have something better to do than stand around watching us making out. At least I hope you do…"

Jay threw his hands in the air in submission. "Alright, we can take a hint." He turned to Matt and Sean. "You guys want to go get something to eat? I'm starving here." Getting a nod from each, Jay turned back to us and said, "Okay, we're outta here. See you tomorrow, Truscott. You too, Oken."

I watched as they opened the garage door and walked outside, closing it behind them. I released myself from Oliver's hold, going to the garage door and making sure that it was closed securely. After making sure it was good, I turned back around and caught Oliver's gaze from across the room.

Smiling at him, I was about to say something but before I could, he opened his mouth and said, "Before we start making more plans for the rest of the day, I told my dad that I would help him clean out the attic after band practice. You don't mind, do you? I kind of feel bad about just leaving you like this."

I started to laugh quietly, shaking my head. Seeing the look of confusion on Oliver's face, I went on and explained to him. "No, of course I don't mind! It's kind of funny because I was going to tell you the same thing. I'm meeting Miley down at the beach. We plan to just hang out for the rest of the day."

I walked over to Oliver and took his hand, pulling him to the door near the back left of the garage that was adjoined to the rest of my house. I opened the door and tugged him inside after me, stopping momentarily so he could shut the door behind him.

As we reached the front door, Oliver asked, "Did you want me to give you a lift to the beach?"

I shook my head and replied, "Nah, but thanks anyway. I'm going to use my skateboard to get there. I haven't been on it in so long and I miss it a lot. It'll feel good to ride it again."

Oliver smiled at me as he opened the front door, stepping outside. He turned around and gave me a hug. "Have fun and be careful. Tell Miley I said hi."

I hugged him back and said, "Don't worry, I will. To everything you just said."

Oliver pulled back slightly and leaned down, giving me a quick peck on the lips. He looked into my eyes one last time and smiled, finally pulling away and walking to his car that was parked in the driveway. I stood there at the door and watched him as he climbed in, turned the car on and threw it into reverse. Before pulling out completely, he turned his attention to me and waved goodbye. I waved back and continued looking on until he drove out of sight. Sighing in happiness, I closed the door and made my way upstairs to my room.

I opened the door and made a beeline for my closet, where my skateboard and protective gear were. I sat down on my bed as I put on my elbow pads, kneepads and helmet. Grabbing my skateboard, I quickly walked out of the room, closing the door behind me and heading down the stairs. My mom wasn't home yet, so I wrote her a note saying where I would be and left it on the small table next to the door where she always put her car keys. I walked outside, making sure to lock the door before I left.

Tossing my skateboard on the sidewalk, I got on and gave myself a starting push, harder than I should have. Almost instantly, the board shot out from under me and I fell to the ground, landing hard on my back. Muttering to myself and groaning from the slight pain, I finally managed to sit up. It had been a good, long while since I last rode my skateboard. I should've known that I wouldn't be able to pick it up again so easily. This was certainly going to be a fun trip just trying to _get_ to the beach. Oh well. This would be good practice for me so I could get used to the fun of skateboarding again. As I sat there and thought about it, it occurred to me that I didn't really know why I suddenly gave it up. It just sort of…happened.

My mom never liked it. She always claimed it was too dangerous and that I could seriously get hurt if I wasn't careful. I would just shrug it off and tell her that she worried too much. Of course, it didn't help that every time we got into those conversations, I would usually end up going home with a new injury the next day, whether it be minor or major. As can be expected, it would spark yet another "serious" conversation with my mom about the dangers of skateboarding.

My friends were more understanding, seeing as how a lot of them shared the same interest in the activity as I did. Oliver enjoyed it also, but he was way clumsier than me and only skated sporadically. He said he would much rather watch me any day of the week. I think the only reason he did it was so he could check out my butt whenever the chance arose, without the fear of getting caught staring. Not that I would have minded, but still.

And then there was Miley, my best friend in the entire world. She had followed a lot in my mom's footsteps when it came to skateboarding, saying it was dangerous. The only real difference was that Miley wouldn't bring it up as often as my mom had, saying that if it made me happy, then she would be okay with it, even if I chose to continue doing it when I turned 80 years old.

Thinking about Miley, my mind shifted back to reality as I remembered that I was supposed to be meeting up with her. I shook my head slightly and got up from the ground, wiping dirt off my pants. I looked around for my skateboard and spotted it hiding halfway in a small bush that lined a part of the sidewalk. I made my way over and slid it out with my foot. Carefully, I tried another push-off, this time with more success. Before I knew it, I spotted the beach in the distance. By now I had become reacquainted with skating and I was actually doing some minor tricks on the board. It turns out that it did come back easy for me. Once I got the hang of it, it was like I had never forgotten, almost like riding a bike.

As I neared the beach's edge, I decided to try out one of my more major stunts on the board. Unfortunately, I hadn't caught on quite as much as I'd thought. I didn't nail the landing right and the next thing I knew, I was facedown in the sand.

"Oh my gosh, Lilly! Are you okay?"

I felt a pair of hands grabbing my right arm, trying their best to help me up. I slowly got to my hands and knees, grimacing as I tasted sand in my mouth. Spitting some out, I leaned back until I was fully sitting down, my legs spread out in front of me. Noticing that there were still hands on my arm, I looked up at the owner and met Miley's concerned eyes looking back at me.

Not letting go, she knelt down beside me and asked again, "Lilly, are you okay? That looked like a bad fall."

I just gave her a sarcastic look and said, "Oh yes. I'm just fine. After all, the only time I ever come here is to try out the sand smoothies!" To make my point, I spit out the last bits of sand that I managed to dislodge from between my gums.

She just smirked at me and tugged on my arm. "Well, come on. Let's get you cleaned up a bit. Sand is definitely not your color!"

Rolling my eyes, she helped me get to my feet. For the second time today, I wiped myself clean until I could no longer see any traces of sand anywhere on my body. I straightened up and looked back at Miley, who was giving me a questioning look. "Why were you on your skateboard anyway? I thought you had forgotten about it."

I shrugged at her statement and walked over to the aforementioned skateboard, lying just a few feet away from us. I picked it up, inspecting it for any damage as I said, "I just felt like skating again. I miss it a lot and it felt pretty good while I was on my way over here. It made me feel…free and like I could do anything in the world if I put my mind to it."

I heard Miley mumble under her breath, "Yeah, except that last thing you did…"

"What was that?" I looked at her, raising my eyebrows as I waited for her response.

"Uh, nothing."

I took a step closer and continued looking at her. She glanced at me and shifted her weight uncomfortably. "SO, how about we finish cleaning you up? I bet you're just dying to get the taste of sand out of your mouth!" Turning away from me, she began to quickly walk towards Rico's stand. I just stared after her amused and let out a small laugh, stopping short as an unknown grain of sand flew to the back of my throat, forcing me to cough instead.

By the time I caught up to Miley, she was already at the counter, talking to Jackson as he handed her 2 bottles of water. I went to one of the tables next to the stand and put my skateboard down on top of it. Sitting in one of the chairs, I began taking off my pads and helmet as I waited for Miley to come back. I set them down next to the skateboard and turned my attention back to the stand. Miley and Jackson finished the short conversation they'd been having and she turned around, smiling as she walked towards me. She sat in the empty chair to my right and handed one of the water bottles to me.

I waved to Jackson and he responded by winking his eye at me. Cocking my eyebrow at his choice of action, I opened the bottle of water and poured a decent amount in my mouth, closing it as I swished the cool liquid around to try and get any leftover grit washed out from hidden places. Miley was watching me with slight intrigue, which turned into a look of disgust as I opened my mouth and spit out the grainy water into the sand next to my chair.

"Lilly, that's disgusting! Couldn't you have done that in the bathroom?"

"Nope! I didn't feel like getting up and for crying out loud, it's the beach! It's not like the ground isn't going to get wet anyway." Proud of my answer, I gave her a smug grin.

"If you say so…" Miley looked away for a moment, taking a sip from her own water bottle. She turned back to me and asked, "So how did band practice go today?"

"The same. Matt was late, _again_. I honestly don't know what that boy does for him to be late all the time, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to find out either. Oh! We also have a new song we've been working on. Jay was the one who came up with it. Wrote it out last week. That's the main song we've been playing, along with a few others. It's actually starting to sound pretty good now."

Miley nodded her head and said, "That's good. I'm glad I was able to hook you up with them. I sure know how to pick them, don't I? Miley, how _do_ you do it?" She let out a happy little laugh and broke out into a wide grin.

Noticing that the sun was in the early stages of setting, I lightly smacked Miley's arm with my hand and said, "Okay Ms. Popstar. Pull your ego together and let's go take a walk on the shoreline. The sun's getting ready to set and you know how much I love sunsets. Especially on the beach." Without waiting for an answer, I rose from my chair and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the chair she was sitting in and pretty much dragging her in the direction of the water.

I yelled out over my shoulder, "Hey Jackson! Can you watch our stuff? Thanks!"

Miley managed to catch her bearings and before long, she fell into stride next to me. Reaching the water's edge, we stopped just before the water could touch our feet. I let go of Miley's hand and crossed my arms in front of me as I stared out at the ocean, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing in the distance and the cry of an occasional seagull as it flew by overhead. We just stood there in a comfortable silence, letting the noise of the natural world envelop us. I always feel my best when it came to moments like these: just standing on the beach with my best friend as we let the sounds of nature overtake us, the sun beginning its slow descent into the horizon.

After a few minutes, I glance over at Miley and smile at the look of happiness and content that's plastered on her face as she stares out at the water. I gently nudge her with my elbow. She looks away from the ocean and turns her gaze on me, a warm smile on her face. Motioning with my head, I tell her, "Come on. How about that walk?"

Without saying a word, she nodded and obediently fell into step as we slowly started walking along the shoreline, with her closer to the water. By now the sun had descended a bit more, making its presence slightly known as the faint colors of a brilliant sunset began to creep its way across the sky. I stopped our walk momentarily so I could indulge my eyes in the beautiful sight that lay right before me.

"It's absolutely breathtaking, isn't it?" Miley's soft voice next to me broke the silence that had come upon us. I simply nodded my head as I continued to stare out at the sky, the colors getting brighter and more awe-inspiring with every passing second.

I cleared my throat and said, "Oliver's sweet and I love him to death, but he's not much into the whole sunset thing. That's why I'm glad I have you, Miles. At least I can watch it with someone I care about and who I know enjoys them as much as I do." I turn my head to her and give her a caring smile, which she returned.

Miley veered her attention back to the sunset as she said in an almost shy tone, "I'm glad you're here with me, too. I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else."

Touched by her words, I reach my arms out and pull her into a tight hug, reveling in the sensation of the moment as she hugged back. We stayed this way for a few seconds before I pulled away and stared into her eyes, glad that I was blessed with a best friend like Miley. Life was perfect for me. I had a wonderful boyfriend who loved me as much as I loved him, I had a best friend who I knew I could always count on and who would support me, and now, I was even part of a band. Oh yes. Life couldn't have been any better and I wasn't planning on changing it for the world.

Giving Miley another smile, I turned away from her and started to walk down the beach again. "Come on, Miley. Let's continue on down the beach some more before I have to go home." No sooner did those words leave my mouth when I heard Miley let out a small cry.

"Eeewww! This is SO disgusting!"

Turning back to her, I saw Miley holding out some of her hair with her left hand. Confused, I walked back the few steps towards her. Upon closer inspection, I couldn't help but let out a laugh as I saw why Miley was upset.

"This isn't funny! How would you like it if some dang bird went and left its nasty, drippy white mark in your hair?"

Keeping my laughter to a bare minimum, I tried to see just how much of Miley's hair had been targeted. Before I could get too close though, Miley darted from me and started a haste walk to the water. Since we were already close to the edge to begin with, it took no time at all. I watched her with a humorous look on my face as she squatted and began the process of trying to wash out the seagull droppings from her hair. I could hear her mumbling incoherently and I shook my head as I made my way towards her.

I stopped behind her and started to reach out a hand to help when she suddenly stood up and whirled around, taking a half step. I guess she didn't see me there because we collided. Upon impact, she kind of bounced back from me and I could see that she was about to lose her balance. Working through reflex, she immediately shot out her hands and tried to grab onto anything she could get a hold of that would steady her and keep her from falling into the 2-inch water. Unfortunately, that happened to be my wrist and before I knew it, I was being grabbed and we started to fall. My own reflexes had awakened at this point as I instantly wrapped one arm around her waist as the other reached out to try and break the inevitable fall.

We made a small splash as we landed in the cool water, which stunned me for a moment. The sound of Miley slightly gasping for air and mildly groaning broke me out of my stupor, causing me to realize that I had landed on top of her and most likely knocked the wind out of her lungs. Concern etched my face as I eased off of her and sat back on my hands and knees next to her, hovering above her slightly.

"Miley, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to land on you like I did. Are you okay?"

Regaining the ability to breathe again, she simply nodded and rolled to her side opposite of where I was sitting as she attempted to sit up. I crawled around her and sat until we were facing each other, placing a hand on her right shoulder as she finally sat all the way up. She had her eyes glued to the spot of ocean water between us. I bent my head down a little as I tried to look at her face, but she shifted it away from me. I placed my unoccupied hand on her left cheek and gently forced her to face me, but her eyes remained averted from my gaze.

"Miley, please look at me. Are you okay?"

I searched her face for any sign of emotion. Her eyes seemed to dart back and forth as if she was having some kind of internal battle. After what seemed like forever, she reached up to where my hand was still on her cheek and placed her own hand over it, keeping it firmly there. She slowly looked up until our eyes made contact. Even in the twilight of the sky that was beginning to transform the world around us into darkness, I could see a swirl of emotions emanating from them, some I recognized while others I had never seen.

She opened her mouth and spoke so softly, I could barely hear her. "Lilly, I'm so sorry but I can no longer keep this hidden. Please forgive me."

I just looked at her confused and was going to ask what she was talking about, but the next thing that happened was something I had never imagined happening in a million years. Still holding my hand to her cheek, she leaned forward and softly pressed her lips against mine. Before I could respond in any way, I heard an angry voice coming from somewhere near us.

"What the hell are you doing?"

My attention snapped towards the sound of that voice and as my heart dropped when I saw who it was, the only thing that ran across my mind was the look of anger and hurt that was clearly visible in the eyes of Oliver Oken.

**Author's Note:** Don't worry. There is still more to come. I know that it sounds like the kiss just happened out of the blue, especially when there weren't any inclinations that Miley even had feelings for Lilly, but do remember that it's in Lilly's POV. Up until the end, she's been completely oblivious to any hints or actions that might have led her to think that Miley has a crush on her. After all, she _is_ in love with Oliver and as they say, "Love blinds all." At least I think that's a saying…

Anyway, a side note about the choice of instrument that Lilly plays. To me, it seems that there are too many times when a guitar player becomes everyone's first choice for a main character or a love interest. Yes, I know it's the coolest part of the band (especially with those rockin' guitar solos!), but I felt like a different instrument deserved some praise for once. I like the drums a lot more anyway, which probably makes me biased but I don't care. LONG LIVE THE DRUMS!

Ahem… I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. There's obviously going to be another one, but I'm not sure if this story will end up being a two shot or if I'll wind up putting more than just 2 chapters. It just depends on how the idea plays out in my head. Please review if you can! Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimers:** I still own nothing related to the show. Pity, pity. Please enjoy this next chapter!

CHAPTER 2

Oliver began to back away slowly from where he was standing, which happened to be the exact spot Miley and I had previously stood at before when looking at the sunset. The look he was giving me felt like thousands of daggers piercing through every inch of my body and into my very soul. For a moment, I just sat there in the shallow water, looking at Oliver with my mouth slightly open. I felt numb and practically paralyzed. My mind kept screaming for me to say something, _anything_ that would break the awkward and extremely tense silence that seemed to blanket the entire area. However, nothing came out of my mouth and we were left in that awkward silence, just staring at each other.

Oliver was the one to speak first, his voice changing from that of anger to disbelief and slight sorrow. "I can't believe you'd do this to me, Lilly. I love you and I thought you felt the same way about me. I guess I was wrong." Casting his eyes to the ground, he turned around and began to walk away from us.

I finally snapped to attention and called out, "Oliver, wait!"

Struggling to my feet, I saw that Oliver picked up his pace when he heard me. I started to run after him the best I could, which was pretty hard considering the weight of my now-wet clothes made me feel like I was treading through mud, but I was determined to catch up with him and explain what had happened. My determination must have set off my own speed because within no time at all, I was in touching distance of him. I grabbed his right shoulder and tried to spin him around to face me, but he jerked away from my grasp and continued walking. Reaching for his arm this time, I managed to wrap my hand around his forearm and refused to let go, even if it meant getting dragged through the sand.

Pulling on it, I tried to get him to stop as I talked. "Oliver, please. Let me explain. You don't understand! It wasn't what it looked like!"

That seemed to get his attention because the next thing I knew, I ran straight into him. The impact caught me off guard and I stumbled backwards slightly. Luckily for me, I still had a good hold of his arm and was able to prevent myself from falling yet again. He spun around so quickly that it made me jump and I withdrew my hand from his arm, suddenly feeling scared. I don't know why I felt that way. I knew Oliver wouldn't do anything to hurt me. He's too sweet for that. I guess it was the fact that I was afraid of what he was going to say. If it had been me, I probably would've already said some nasty things that I didn't really mean, only saying them from the heat of the moment.

Looking at Oliver, I watched as he opened his mouth and let the words spew forth from its depths. "Are you serious? You're really going to pull that old card out? 'It wasn't what it looked like'? Then what do you call seeing your girlfriend all puckered up with another girl? And not just any girl: her best friend! Tell me, because I'm sure as hell confused."

I blinked, suddenly finding I couldn't talk. I calmed my nerves and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I began trying to explain. "Look, _she_ was the one who kissed _me_. I honestly didn't know she was going to do that. I was just going to try and help her get some seagull droppings out of her hair and we ended up falling into the water together. That's when she did it. Oliver, believe me when I say that you're the one I want to be with. Not Miley. You. Please, please believe me!"

I looked at Oliver and waited for his reaction. For a moment, his face remained emotionless. He just stared back at me as if he were debating whether or not to believe me. The seconds that passed were intense. I almost couldn't stand it and wanted to tell him to hurry up and say something, but I knew that if I did, it would only make things worse. So I patiently stood there and hoped that he would say something soon. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were. To pretend like none of this had ever happened. I didn't have to wait much longer.

His face still neutral, he finally responded, "Lilly, you can't expect me to just forget about this and go on acting like nothing's changed. I'm sorry but I need time to think about everything. And I think you do too."

My heart started to pound and I could feel the tears forming in my eyes as he turned around to leave, but I wasn't letting him off the hook just yet. I grabbed his arm and tried to get him to face me, but once again he pulled roughly away from my grip and started to walk off. With my resolve crumbling and my legs suddenly not wanting to work, I stared at Oliver's back and tried to process what he just said.

Hoping that the subliminal meaning behind his words weren't true, I directed my wavering voice at his retreating form. "What are you saying? That we're through?"

Oliver stopped walking and slowly turned back around to face me. I could feel his eyes burning into mine. His voice came out slightly cracked as he said, "I don't know. I can't give you a straight answer. I just need time."

The now-dark sky prevented me from seeing much of his face, but I still managed to notice the glistening trail of tears beginning to make its way down both of his cheeks. Without saying anything more, Oliver took a few steps backwards, still staring at me, before turning and walking off, leaving me standing there on the beach. The sight of him crying, along with his words, completely broke me down and before I knew it, I crumpled to the ground as my own hot tears began to pour forth from my eyes, causing my vision to blur. My chest ached as my heart pounded away. It felt like it was going to burst through my shirt. I couldn't believe this was happening. One minute I was living a pretty good life, and the next, it all came tumbling down like a wrecking ball demolishing an old building.

The sudden sound of Miley speaking from behind me startled me and I jumped a little from where I sat on the ground. "I guess I really messed things up. Lilly, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

I had completely forgotten about Miley when I was chasing down Oliver, trying to explain everything to him in a vain attempt. Oliver… I suddenly remembered the reason for Oliver's behavior and like that, my heartbroken sadness changed to immense anger. I quickly got to my feet, wiping the tears from my eyes as I whirled around to face Miley, who had such a look of fear on her face, I kind of felt sorry for her and my anger almost dissipated. Almost. What she did was inexcusable and overruled any sympathy I had for her at that point.

"Why the hell did you do that? What were you thinking? You knew Oliver and I were together! Were you hoping I was going to just dump him and run into your arms? News flash: It doesn't work like that!"

Miley seemed to cower at my words but I didn't care. I was too furious with her. I mean, come on. What kind of best friend would do something like that? Risk not only a romantic relationship but a platonic one as well? I stared hard at her and waited for a response.

I guess I intimidated Miley because she visibly swallowed before answering, "I-I don't know what came over me. I just acted on impulse. You were so close to me and I acted before thinking about what I was doing. Lilly, even though my feelings for you run deeper than mere friendship I had no intentions of being that forward with you about them. It kind of just…happened."

I looked at her with disbelief. "You ruined my relationship with Oliver and that's all you have to say? He doesn't even want me to so much as touch him! You more than just screwed things up this time, Miley. I don't see how we can be best friends anymore. Heck, I don't even see how we can be friends at all. Congratulations, Stewart. You just lost a friend, if not two."

Miley made a small whimpering sound and took a step towards me. I could see her eyes brimming with tears as she said, "Lilly, no. Please. I don't want our friendship to end. It means more to me than anything in the world!"

I instinctively took a step back and shook my head. "You should have thought of that before kissing me."

Miley seemed to be having trouble breathing as she stood there. "So you're going to throw this all away because I kissed you? I thought you would be more understanding of my feelings for you. Not treat me like some kind of outcast!"

I don't know why, but her words fueled my anger even more. "I could care less if you like boys OR girls! If you had told me under normal circumstances, you would still be my best friend and we would go on living. I'm not mad at you for that. I'm mad at you because you jeopardized my relationship with Oliver, not to mention our friendship too!"

"But I didn't mean to!"

I put my right hand up in the air. "Just stop. It's too late to try and fix things now. What's done is done. I hope you enjoy the rest of your life because you just ruined mine."

I didn't wait for Miley to react. I turned and headed back towards the table that still held my skateboard and gear. I involuntarily shivered as I took notice that my clothes were still wet from the earlier fall. I had been so occupied with Oliver and Miley that I had temporarily forgotten. I reached the table and quickly put on my protective gear, wanting to get off the beach as fast as possible. I grabbed my skateboard and headed for the sidewalk to begin the walk, or rather ride, home.

Just as my skateboard hit the sidewalk and I put my left foot on it, I heard Jackson's voice coming from a short distance behind me. "Hey Lilly, do you want a ride home? It's too dark for you to be out on the streets by yourself."

I almost hesitated and turned around to tell him yes, but instead I chose to pretend that I didn't hear him. I know that Jackson had nothing to do with what happened and didn't deserve the cold shoulder, but I was still angry at Miley and didn't feel like talking to anyone, especially the brother of my ex-best friend. As I pushed off, I could hear his voice starting to protest. I went faster and didn't slow my pace until I was a good distance from the beach.

During the remainder of the trip, I kept thinking about Oliver and the kiss from Miley. I still didn't understand why she would do something like that. I knew the reason behind it, but couldn't figure out why she acted upon it. She knows I love Oliver. Above that, she knows I'm straight. So why did she do it? Was she hoping that somewhere deep down, I felt the same way about her? Because I didn't. Sure I loved her – _did_ love her – but only as a friend. I never thought about being with her in any other way, and I was happy about that.

My throat clenched as my thoughts shifted to Oliver. What went through his head when he saw Miley and me in that…compromising situation? Putting myself in his shoes, I understood why he wanted some time. I would have felt the same way if I happened to walk upon Oliver with another girl…or guy. I mentally shuddered at the thought. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not against the whole gay/lesbian thing. In my opinion, love is love no matter the parties involved. I just couldn't stand the idea of seeing Oliver with someone else. Even though we were young, I could see myself spending the rest of my life with him. He was that one guy your parents wanted you to be with. He was sensitive, kind, funny, not too smart but that's part of what made him Oliver. I wouldn't change anything about him.

My eyes began to water as I thought about the possibility of not being able to share anything more with him. He didn't exactly say that we were over, but the thought of it becoming reality scared me. I didn't want us to be over. I felt that what we had was special. I didn't think anything could come between us. That is, until now.

My mind reverted back to reality as I spotted my house in the distance. Without another thought, I silently pushed my way closer until I reached the lawn. I stopped my skateboard and hopped off, bending over to grab it as I made my way to the front door. I could see some of the lights on inside. I guess my mother was home. I pulled out the key to my house from the pocket of my jeans and inserted it into the key slot, letting myself inside and locking the door as I closed it behind me. My mom's voice drifted towards me from the kitchen.

"Lilly, honey? Is that you?"

I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Who else would it be? I called out to her, "Yeah, it's me."

"You came home just in time. I just finished making dinner."

I sighed and put my skateboard down by the door as I made my way into the kitchen. My mom was standing at the counter with her back to me, untying the apron she had on. She put it away and turned to give me a smile, which faded when she got a good glimpse of me. I must have looked like a real wreck. My clothes weren't drenched anymore, but they were still slightly damp with patches of sand in places where they had touched the ground. My eyes must have been red and puffy from the crying I had done, which in turn, probably made dry, visible trails down my cheeks.

She hurried over to me and placed her hands on my shoulders, looking into my face with a worried look as she asked, "Lilly sweetie, are you okay? What's wrong? What happened?"

I gently pulled away from her as I glanced towards the ground and took a step back. "Nothing. I'm fine. I'm not really hungry. I think I'm going to just take a shower and go straight to bed."

My mom continued looking at me with concern. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't look like it. You know you can tell me anything. I'm here for you."

I forced myself to look at her and gave her a small smile. "I know. And thanks. But I don't really feel like talking. I'm exhausted and I really just want to crawl into bed."

She returned the small smile and pulled me into a hug. "Okay. Whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be right here ready to listen."

I held on for a few seconds before pulling away and saying, "I'll be sure to remember that. Thanks again Mom."

"Anytime."

I turned around and left the kitchen, picking up my skateboard by the door before making my way up the stairs. I opened the door to my room and flipped the light switch on as I made my way to the closet and opened it, setting my skateboard down in its rightful place. Walking over to my bed, I sat down and began taking off my helmet and pads, chunking them into the open closet as I took them off. I got back up and opened a drawer, pulling out some pajamas. I took a quick glance-over at myself in the mirror and sighed. I really did look like a wreck. If I looked like this now, I almost didn't want to see how I would look like in the days to come. Shaking my head, I made my way out into the hallway and went straight to the bathroom to take my shower and wash away the grime and stress from the day.

After finishing up, I went back to my room and shut the door, turning off the lights before crawling under the covers and making myself comfortable as I settled into the bed. My mind was still thinking about the events from earlier, and for the first time in a long time, I cried myself into the deep, peaceful depths of the dream world.

* * *

Friday. That was the day the beach incident happened and according to my calculations, was exactly one week ago today. Things were still a rough patch between me, Oliver and Miley. The three of us never hung out anymore, which caused a lot of our classmates to question me about what was going on, to which I would respond that I had no idea what they were talking about. I had no doubts in my mind that Oliver and Miley were getting the same treatment.

Due to Oliver's "time apart" from me, the band ended up suffering. I had to call Matt, Jay and Sean the morning after it happened and tell them that we wouldn't be having practice for a while. I guess they noticed the stress in my voice because they didn't question it and just told me to give them a call when practice was back on. I was grateful for that because I really didn't want to go into explanation for the reasoning behind the sudden cancellation. I still saw Oliver at school, but every time we locked eyes he would quickly look away and my heart would break each time. He never tried communicating with me in any way.

Miley reacted the same way in school. Even though our lockers were only three away from each other, we still managed to avoid the other. The only time she tried coming into contact with me was when she stopped by my house about two days after the beach event to drop off a small manila envelope. I refused to see her so she ended up giving it to my mom, who gave it to me. The contents of the envelope contained a CD and a note, but I never read the note or listened to the CD. I was tempted to at the time but I was also determined to keep anything concerning her out of my life. However, despite the resentful feelings I had for her, I couldn't bring myself to throw away the CD and note, so I just held on to them and placed them in a shoebox under my bed.

This entire week had been torture for me. I ate lunch alone and never left my house unless it was to go to school. My mom knew something was wrong but didn't push me into telling her anything. As the week wore on, my sadness over Oliver had subsided some and I no longer felt angry at Miley. I knew I had to give Oliver all the time that he needed to sort through things on his own, so I figured there was no point wallowing in complete sadness forever. I adjusted myself some and anxiously awaited the day that he would talk to me again, hopefully letting me know that we were back on and still going strong.

I actually missed Miley. After all, we had been best friends for years and a bond like that isn't something that can just be easily thrown away. I regretted saying the things I had told her on the beach that day, but my anger can sometimes overtake me, ruling out any practical and logical sense I might possess. I had done some thinking about her kiss and even though at the time it shocked and angered me, causing me to place blame on it for all the troubles I was going through, I found myself eerily fond of it. Not in a romantic way, but in a flattering one.

I didn't let it show, but I was kind of self-conscious about myself. I always watched boys flock from one "pretty girl" to the next. Due to my skater girl look I wasn't exactly considered one of the hottest girls in school, although I had toned that look down a bit over the years. And thanks to Amber and Ashley's Cool List, which always placed me and Miley dead last with Dandruff Danny, I wasn't considered cool either. Two strikes against me.

I did have what you might consider two boyfriends (not at the same time), but one ended up cheating on me while the other I never really talked to again after I took him to teen court for standing me up. Which is pretty ironic because the reason he stood me up was that I had changed from the skater girl that he had a crush on into a girlier version. Miley had convinced me into doing that and it ended up backfiring on her. That whole thing caused me even more confusion about what boys were into, so I decided to just be myself from then on. If a boy was going to like me, he was going to like me for me.

Up until Oliver, I never thought that anybody could like me like that, skater girl and all. I certainly didn't think I would catch the attention of my best friend, who seemed to be crazy about boys. As weird as it sounds, her kiss made me feel good about myself. Just to know that there was someone else out there who appreciated me for who I was, even more so knowing that that person was a girl, although I didn't share the same feelings. I, Lilly Truscott, was appealing to members of both genders. If that isn't a confidence booster, I don't know what is.

But it didn't matter anymore. Miley and I were no longer friends. And Oliver still needed time away from me. As far as anyone was concerned, I was all alone in this cruel world. Many times I had thought about making up with Miley and asking if she wanted to be friends again, to pick up where we had left off minus the beach incident. No matter how much courage I would gather up, I couldn't do it. Normally I would have no trouble fixing things between us when I was ready, but lately I found myself feeling scared when it came to her. Was it because of the fear of rejection? I didn't know what it was. So I let things be the way they were and hoped that one day, I would gather the bravery and courage to actually patch things up with Miley.

I wanted to do the same thing with Oliver, but once again, I knew that things would have to go along his terms if anything good was to come out of our halted relationship. I just hoped that he would come to his senses soon and realize that we still had something going for us. All I could do when it came to Oliver was play the waiting game.

The sound of the bell ringing snapped me back to attention. I had forgotten that I was sitting at my desk for the last period of the day. As I watched the other students hurrying to exit the classroom in anticipation of the weekend, I sighed and started gathering my things together. It was then that I noticed the small piece of paper laying at the top right of my desk, folded in half. Cautiously, I picked it up and opened it, wondering what the message had to say and who it was from.

_Lilly,_

_Meet me at my locker._

_-Oliver-_

My heart started pounding and I quickly stood up, folding the note back in half and shoving it into the right pocket of my jeans. I finished gathering all my stuff, shoving them into my backpack as I ran out the door. For a moment I pondered whether or not I should stop at my locker first. I decided not to, seeing as how this was the moment I had been waiting on for an entire week.

I briskly walked to where Oliver's locker was at and saw him standing there, putting some of his books up while taking others out. I didn't want to seem too anxious so I slowed my fast pace to that of a normal walk. I reached him within a few short seconds, much shorter than I had wanted, and just stood there behind him. My heart was pounding uncontrollably, my mouth suddenly became dry and my hands started getting clammy. I wanted to say something to let him know that I was there, but it seemed that my vocal chords didn't want to work. So I just stood there like an idiot with my mouth slightly hanging open. He finally shut his locker door and turned around, nearly bumping into me. He let out his trademark girly scream and jumped back until he hit the row of lockers behind him, clutching at his chest with his right hand.

"Geez Lilly! Creep much? You scared me half to death! How long were you standing there?"

I wanted to get closer to make sure he was okay, but I was afraid that would be pushing it. I settled with crossing my arms in front of me and looking at him. My voice seemed to come back as I said, "Not that long. I was going to say something to let you know, but the words didn't seem to want to come out."

We stood there looking at each other, not sure of what to say. Averting my gaze to the floor, I chose to go straight to the point and not beat around the bush. "So, you left me a note saying to meet you here. Was there something you wanted?"

I was afraid to look at him. If he didn't want to stay with me, I didn't know what I would do. I honestly hoped that wasn't the case here. However things turned out, I was prepared for the worst.

He shuffled his feet and began talking, "Well, you know how last week I told you I needed time to think things through?"

Still not looking at his face, I nodded and said, "Yeah."

"Well, I thought about it and I decided that, well," he cleared his throat and continued on in a nervous tone, "I decided that I still want us to be together if that's okay with you."

My head shot up and I looked into his eyes as I could feel my own eyes growing wide. I couldn't help the big smile that slowly spread across my face as I asked him, "Really? You really want us to stay together?"

He gave me a warm smile as he nodded and said, "Absolutely."

I let out a small shriek of excitement as I nearly pounced on him, wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him tightly as he did the same around my waist. He spun me around once while hugging me before setting me back down on the ground. I pulled back just enough to look into his eyes, never letting him go. Slowly and tentatively, he leaned his head forward until our lips were just a mere inch apart. I closed my eyes and finished closing the distance between us, relishing in the feel of his lips against mine after a week of not being able to kiss him. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but this kiss felt different than the rest. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but I didn't dwell on the thought much longer. I simply concentrated on the now, on the moment that I had hoped for since last Friday.

Almost too soon, I felt him slowly pull away and I opened my eyes to find him looking back at me with a smile on his face. I smiled back at him and bit my lower lip before speaking up, "So, do you want to come over to my house for awhile?"

His smile grew wider. "I would love to. Come on. We can take my car."

I let him go and took a step backward, taking his hands in my own and still smiling as I said, "Great! Just let me go to my locker first. I need a couple of things from out of there."

He nodded and said, "That's fine. I'll go ahead to the parking lot. I'm going to pull my car up to the front of the school that way you won't have to walk as far. Sound good?"

"Sounds wonderful. I'll meet you there then."

With one last smile, he bent over to give me a kiss on my cheek and then he left in the direction of the parking lot. I watched him walk off and when he was out of sight, I squealed with delight and made my way to the part of the school where my locker was, which happened to be closer to the front than Oliver's. I was floating on cloud nine and completely oblivious to the world around me. At least until I saw Miley standing at her locker. The recent reunion between Oliver and me had me feeling like I was capable of doing anything. It was at that moment that I decided to make the first move and try to rekindle my lost friendship with her.

I was currently at a distance and a position where she couldn't see me. Taking a deep breath and bursting with confidence, I continued my walk towards her, seeing as how our lockers were in close distance of each other anyway. She was standing all alone, leaning against her locker with her attention focused on the cell phone in her hands. By this time, the hallway had only a few students in it, which was perfect considering I didn't want anyone eavesdropping on our conversation.

My confidence was short-lived when Miley looked up from her cell phone and smiled. Not at me, but at the person who was walking up to her with an air of ego and arrogance about him. I stopped walking and just stared as Jake Ryan made his way towards her. He came almost from the opposite direction of where I was, so even though I couldn't see her completely, I could still somewhat make out her facial expressions from the little bit of her face I could see.

The sight of Jake made my stomach lurch and I felt the impact of every negative emotion that could possibly exist in the world and beyond. I guess it's no surprise that I don't like Jake. He did make things difficult for Miley with the on and off dating that they seemed to be engaged in ever since they first went out. No matter how things had turned out between them, Miley always ran back to him and before she knew it, he was back to breaking her heart. I tried to convince her that she could do better and she would agree with me, but like always, Jake's charm would win her over and she would be back in that same black hole of despair.

It always pained me to see Miley go through that. It was only natural that I would eventually grow to dislike him. Sure I used to go crazy over him back when he first attended middle school with us, but I was young and dumb, only opening my eyes after seeing the way he treated Miley's relationship with him.

I couldn't move from where I stood and only continued to watch as he finally reached her. The next thing that happened caught me so off guard that I almost stumbled and fell to the ground. I watched as Jake reached Miley, smiling that egotistical smile he's known for. I don't know if my vision was going haywire or if this was really happening, but everything suddenly seemed to go in slow motion. My gaze stayed glued to the two of them as I saw Jake reach out a hand to Miley's face, settling on her left cheek as his face came down to hers and met in a kiss.

But this wasn't the thing that caused me to nearly stumble and fall. What caused it was a certain overwhelming emotion I had felt many times before, only ten times more powerful and not with the couple I was seeing now.

The feeling that caught me off guard and had me more surprised than anything I had ever experienced in my young life was the feeling of…

Jealousy?

**Author's Note:** Wow! I don't know about you, but this chapter was okay for me. I wanted to apologize for taking so long with updating this story. With the holidays coming up and college barely letting out for the winter break, I had my hands full with trying to get everything done. I also had a little trouble getting this chapter figured out. I knew how I wanted this story to start out and I know how it's going to end, but getting the details in the middle proved to be harder than I thought. I'm glad I finally did it though. It's only a little bit longer than the last chapter but not by much. I hope that makes things a little bit better for the long wait you had to endure.

Feel free to review with comments, suggestions, anything! Happy holidays to all and I'll see you when I get the next chapter finished! Happy reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimers:** You know the drill. I don't own _Hannah Montana_ or anything related to the show. Here's Chapter 3. I apologize for it taking as long as it did. I kind of got busy with other things, which included school. Heck, I even lost interest at one point and had to write a oneshot songfic to get me back in the swing of things! Anyway, despite the long wait, I hope you enjoy this update. Happy reading!

CHAPTER 3

I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. Heck, I could barely _think_! Why was I suddenly overcome with jealousy at the sight of Jake and Miley kissing? Anger I could understand. But jealousy? It didn't make sense to me at all. I didn't hold any romantic feelings for either of them. I could care less about Jake. He's a jerk whose only talent is breaking my best friend's heart. And I never saw Miley as more than my best friend. Sure we've been through a lot together and the beach event sort of changed things between us, but she was still just that. My best friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

Which brings me right back to my question: why would I be feeling jealous? I didn't want to ponder that thought any longer so I did the only thing I could do. I turned tail and practically flew down the hallway, heading for the front of the school so I could get the heck out of there. Screw getting the things I needed from my locker. Not while Miley and Jake were there playing kissy-face. I shuddered at the thought as I pushed the doors to the school open and exited into the bright sunlight.

Trying to get my mind back on track, I spotted Oliver pulling his car up to the front. Even the sight of him couldn't completely quell my current thoughts. I walked down the steps of the building and made my way towards his car, watching as he made a complete stop and waited for me to get in. I finally reached him and pulled the door open, climbing in and settling down in his comfortable seat as I placed my stuff in my lap. He gave me a smile, to which I returned, before turning his attention to the front and pulling the car out onto the road. His smile warmed my heart immensely, causing me to suddenly feel giddy. I didn't realize how much I had missed him until now. Any lingering thoughts of Miley and Jake were quickly forgotten. The only thing I wanted to focus on was Oliver.

I turned to look at him and said, "I missed you a lot, you know."

Oliver smiled but kept his eyes on the road. "I missed you a lot too." He hesitated a bit before continuing, "Look, I'm sorry if I overreacted that night. I knew what happened between you and Miley wasn't your fault. I also realized what I did was a mistake as soon as I did it. I just let my anger and pride get in the way. I really didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's okay. I understand why you did it. If it had been me in your position, I don't think I would've handled it as great as you did. Thank you for giving us another chance."

Oliver looked over at me briefly, taking my hand in his before he once again focused his attention on the road ahead. "I need you in my life, Lilly. It took me that whole week to fully realize that. Now that I have you back, I don't intend on ever letting you go again."

He brought our entwined hands up to his lips and kissed the back of mine softly. That simple gesture brought butterflies to my stomach and I let out a sigh of content. The rest of the ride to my house was spent in a comfortable silence, just us holding hands and me feeling on top of the world. The situation with Miley wasn't fixed and the emotions I encountered not ten minutes ago still confused me, but for now, it seemed like my life was getting back on track and I couldn't have been happier.

Oliver slowed his car down and pulled into my driveway, parking it and turning off the ignition. We clambered out and made our way to the front door. I fished the house key out of my pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it open so we could make our way inside. Since my mom was home, we wouldn't be able to go up to my room. Bummer. Sometimes I wished she would trust me and my judgment when it came to being alone with boys. I knew she was just being a good mother and looking out for me, but seriously! I'm a big girl and know how to control myself.

"Hey mom! I'm home! Oliver's here too!"

I dropped my stuff next to the door, as did Oliver, and grabbed his arm, pulling him along into the living room to find my mom sitting on the couch in front of the televison, remote in hand. She turned to look at us as we entered. "Hey, how was school?"

I plopped down next to her while Oliver took the armchair that was off to the side. "Oh, you know. Same as it is everyday. A place full of agony and despair."

My mom just smiled and rolled her eyes at me before turning to Oliver. "I had to ask, didn't I? How about you, Oliver? Surely your day must have been better than my over-exaggerating daughter's."

Oliver chuckled and threw me an amused look. He turned back to my mom and said, "Actually Mrs. Truscott, I had a very good day. Perhaps one of the best ones I'll ever have." As he said the last sentence, his gaze shifted to where I was sitting and he looked straight into my eyes. I could see all the love he held for me within them, and for a moment, I became lost as his piercing orbs seemed to swallow me whole, taking me to another level of existence.

My mom's voice broke me out of my trance. "Well, I'll see you two kids later. I'm going to head up to my room and take a small nap. Behave yourselves." She stood up and gave each of us a stern look with her last words.

"Mom!"

"Lillian, I'm just looking out for you sweetie. I don't know what I'd do if-"

"Okay mom. We get it. Really, we do."

"I'm just saying. The last thing you need is to wind up preg-"

"MOM! Just go already! Please." I could feel my face burning and knew that I must have been as red as a tomato. Why do parents have to be so embarrassing?

She threw her hands up in defeat and said, "Okay, okay, but you know where I am if you need me for any reason." With that said, she turned and headed up the staircase, leaving my embarrassed self alone with an amused Oliver.

I turned to Oliver but avoided his eyes, too humiliated to completely look at him. "Oliver, I'm so sorry about that. My mom can be a wee bit over the top with what comes out of her mouth sometimes."

Oliver stood up from the armchair and sat where my mom had previously been beside me. He gently brought his hand to my chin and tilted my head upwards until I was forced to look at him. "It's okay. You don't have to be embarrassed. Not when you're with me."

I didn't know how to respond to his sincere words so I just simply leaned forward and gently captured his lips with my own. He responded immediately and we stayed in that position for a few seconds, just enjoying the feel of each other through a loving gesture. Not wanting to get too carried away with my mom in the house, I reluctantly pulled back and looked into his eyes, smiling.

"So, um, what do you feel like doing?"

Oliver smiled at me and said, "As long as I'm here with you, I'm up for anything."

"You're too sweet, Oliver. You do know that, right?"

He shrugged and changed his smile into an overly confident expression. "I've been told…"

I gave him a light slap on the arm and just laughed. "Okay, Mr. Ego. How about we watch a movie? That way we can cuddle on the couch."

"Sounds good to me."

The rest of the evening went by in a flash. We watched a number of movies and ended up ordering pizza since it was the weekend and my mom didn't feel like cooking. It was late by the time we finished our mini movie marathon. Oliver left with the promise of being back tomorrow if it was okay with me, which of course it was. He _was_ my boyfriend and I loved being around him as much as possible.

I lay there in my bed that night, staring up at the ceiling as I thought of the events that had transpired. With Oliver back in my life, everything should've felt the greatest that they had ever been. There couldn't possibly be anything in the world that would hinder that feeling of joy. So why did I feel a little empty inside? My mind couldn't help but think back to Miley. I really did miss her. Even though it had only been a week, I felt as though it had been years. I needed to make things up with her, but I wasn't sure how Oliver would take that. And then there was the whole Jake situation. I still couldn't figure out why I had felt jealous. It confounded me to no end.

Sighing with slight frustration, I looked away from the ceiling and turned my body on its side. I didn't feel like thinking about this anymore. At least not tonight. Deep down, I knew that I wouldn't be able to stay away from Miley forever. It was just a matter of how I would go about telling this to Oliver. I didn't know if he held any resentment towards Miley for what she did. It wasn't exactly something I wanted to ask him about either, but I knew that it was inevitable. For now, I just had to get through the weekend. Maybe I'll find some way to tell him on Monday. Without another thought, I closed my eyes and let the familiar feeling of slumber slowly take over.

* * *

Okay, I know I said that I would probably tell Oliver that I wanted to be friends with Miley on Monday, but I chickened out. It's Friday once again. Another week gone by. I honestly didn't know how to go about explaining myself to him. He barely came back into my life. The last thing I wanted to do was screw things up and push him away. I had to admit that it was getting harder and harder for me everyday. My growing need to have my best friend again was starting to tear at the seams of my sanity. I knew that if I didn't tell Oliver and patch things up soon with Miley, my uncontrolling actions would undoubtedly cost me.

Right now I'm in my garage, sitting at my drum set with the stereo blaring out music from the CD I had put in. I just needed to clear my head and the best way to do that was to just jam out, letting the flow of music course through my veins and consume my being. Oliver wasn't going to be able to spend time with me this weekend. He was going to be out of town visiting his grandparent's since his folks thought he needed some quality time with them. It actually couldn't have been better. It gave me more time to think about my problem and how I was going to fix it.

The next song from the CD came on and I got to work on my drums, keeping up in time with the original drummer but noting that I made a few mistakes. I really didn't care. The music was making me feel good and I could feel myself getting more and more into it. Music always did have an astounding effect on me. There could be a tornado passing through here right now and I wouldn't notice. I guess music calmed me down in a way even though I probably look like an animal right now, pounding away like there's no tomorrow.

I still hadn't contacted the other band members. I know I said that I would, but I wanted Oliver to myself for a while and didn't want to have to worry about getting back into the swing of practicing. Even though they still didn't know the reason for the sudden cancellation, I'm sure they would understand. I had told Oliver about the band situation and he seemed fine with it. He said that he would be ready to go back on when I was. Don't you just love this guy? He's so understanding and I couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend.

I was so enthralled with what I was doing that I didn't notice when the music was turned off. I sat there, drumming my heart out to the music playing in my head, thinking that I was still hearing it coming from the stereo. It wasn't until the song "ended" when I realized that there was no music at all and I wasn't alone in the garage. I turned my attention to the stereo to figure out who was so cruel as to jerk me out of my blissful state with music. My jaw just dropped in shock as my eyes fell upon the last person I thought it would be.

"Miley."

She gave me a small wave and a nervous smile, standing there looking more anxious than any other time I've ever seen her. She visibly swallowed before opening her mouth to talk. "Look, I know you don't want to see me right now, but I was hoping we could talk."

I suddenly felt claustrophobic in the garage. I put my drumsticks down and stood up from the stool. I guess she thought I was going to just ignore her or kick her out because before I could say anything, she quickly said, "I promise I won't try anything on you. I just want to talk."

Her forwardness surprised me, but I hid it and smiled weakly at her before responding, "I know. Um, how about we go down to the park or something? I was fixing to head that way anyway."

She nodded and said, "Okay."

The drive to the park was filled with tense awkwardness. I know that I had wanted to talk to Miley for a week already, but now that the opportunity was here, I didn't know what to say. I took a sideways peek at her from where I was sitting on the passenger side. Although her eyes were on the road, I could tell that her mind was somewhere else. I quickly looked away from her and took to staring out of the window. It was a nice day outside. Hopefully there wouldn't be too many people at the park when we got there.

I guess Miley shook herself out of her thoughts because she finally broke the silence. "So, Lilly, that was some pretty intense drumming you were doing."

I glanced at her once more before turning away and shrugging. "Yeah, I guess."

She cleared her throat. "I didn't realize how good you actually were. I mean, I've never been to any of your band practices or anything."

Now that she mentions it, it's true. She's never been there for any of them. Even after all the times that I would accompany her to her Hannah concerts and watch her perform. I guess it really wasn't her fault. I never did extend an invite to her. I figured she wouldn't be into the whole rocker thing since her alter ego's entire image was based on pop music. I didn't know what to say to that so I kept my mouth shut as she pulled the car into the parking lot of the park. We sat there in silence again as she found a spot and parked her car.

We both climbed out, shutting our doors and making our way towards one of the benches that was nearby. The park wasn't too crowded today. I could see some kids playing in the play area with a few adults either sitting on the surrounding benches or walking along on the jogging course. I steered myself away from the bench we were headed for and instead started walking towards the course. I turned back to see if Miley was following me. She was but with a confused look on her face.

I gently smiled at her and nodded my head towards the course. "I figured we could walk instead. It's a nice day outside."

She smiled back and said, "Yeah, it is."

Once we reached the jogging course, we started walking along it side by side. I still didn't know what to say to her and I was kind of curious as to what she wanted to talk about. I decided to break the ice.

"So Miley. You said you wanted to talk. What was it you were wanting to say?"

Miley stayed silent for a couple of minutes. She seemed to be thinking about what to say and I didn't push her to speak in the slightest. After what I had said to her at the beach, I knew it must've taken some courage for her to come to my house to speak to me. I wanted to hear what she had to say so I wasn't going to scare her away by being pushy. I figured it was best to let her take her time.

She finally spoke up. "Well first, I just wanted to apologize again for the trouble I caused between you and Oliver. I really am sorry about that. I guess it's working out for you two again since I've seen ya'll together at school this past week."

I couldn't help but smile at the small indication of her Tennessee accent just then. "Thank you. We are back together again and I couldn't be happier. About that night, I didn't mean to react the way I did, but you know how I can be sometimes. I was just angry at what I was thrust into and the things that happened. You have to understand that."

She nodded. "I do. Trust me, I do. You're my best friend and the last thing I wanted was to hurt you."

I looked at her with slight disbelief. "You still consider me your best friend? Even after what I had said to you?"

Miley turned her head and met my gaze, smiling warmly. "Yes I do. That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"Our friendship?"

"Yes. I wanted you to know that it's been hard not having a friend I could talk to and lean on for support. I knew that I had screwed everything up, but I still held hope. Hope that somewhere deep down, you'd be able to forgive me and we could continue being best friends."

I pondered over her words for a minute. I don't know why but I did. She pretty much said what I've been thinking for a while now. I should've just jumped at what she said and agreed with her. It _was_ how I was feeling after all. I guess the thought of Oliver stopped me from doing so. I felt guilty. Here I was walking in the park with Miley, the girl who he caught in a lip lock with his girlfriend just two weeks past, while he was out of town visiting his grandparents. He wouldn't be happy to come back and find out that Miley and I were friends again. At least I don't think he would. I couldn't help it though. Being here with Miley just felt so right. I almost couldn't believe that I had managed to not go crazy from her being absent in my life. I knew that no matter what Oliver thought, he couldn't keep me from being friends with who I wanted to, including Miley. I'll just have to break it to him slowly when he comes back. Hopefully he'll understand and accept it.

I chose to not answer her directly. "Miley, would you be interested in watching any of our future band practices?"

I saw her look at me from the corner of my eye. With confusion in her voice, she said, "Of course I would, but what does that have…" Her voice trailed off and I looked over at her, seeing the realization dawn on her face. "Wait, are you saying what I think you're saying?"

I nodded and stopped walking, giving her a huge smile. She also stopped walking and continued to stare at me. "Yes, I want to be friends with you again Miley. I actually have since last week but I didn't know how to go about doing it. I missed you. A lot."

"So I guess it's safe to assume that we're best friends again?"

"You betcha!" As if on instinct, we both reached out and gave each other the biggest hug we ever had. I held her tightly as I turned my head and whispered in her ear, "It's nice to have you back, friend."

She whispered back in my ear, "It's nice to have you back too."

After what seemed like hours but in reality was only seconds, we finally separated from our hug, stepping back to look at each other. Not having to say anything more, we continued our walk along the jogging course, just reveling in the long-missed company of each other. In the back of my mind, the thought of all this being unfair to Oliver kept popping up. I knew that it was going to keep eating away at me the entire weekend, but for now, I was just going to live in the moment and be happy that I was here with Miley. My best friend turned ex-best friend turned best friend again. There'd be plenty of time for me to stress out about Oliver later when I got home.

Miley suddenly turned to look at me and spoke up, excitement evident in her voice. "Oh! I almost forgot to tell you! Guess who I'm dating?"

My heart dropped at the thought of Jake Ryan. Miley just had to go and ruin the moment with the mention of _him_. I could feel myself getting slightly jealous again, but I chose to ignore it. Now was not the time to be feeling like that. I pretended to know nothing and plastered a fake smile on my face. "I have no idea. Who?"

"Oh, come on Lilly! You have to guess at least one time."

"I really don't want to."

"Please?"

"No."

Pleeeaaassseee?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

I huffed at her stubbornness. "Fine! You can be as stubborn as a mule sometimes. Would it happen to be Jake Ryan?" I said his name with more distaste than I had intended.

She looked kind of surprised. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Miley, it's kind of obvious when the school's biggest star is dating someone. I may not have been there as your friend recently, but I have heard the talk. And I sort of saw you two kissing in the hallway the other day."

I almost gagged at the thought of them kissing but held it back for Miley's sake. I must have not hid it very well because Miley said, "You still don't like him."

I sighed and stopped walking, facing Miley. "I'm sorry Miles, but no I don't. He's broken your heart too many times. What's to say that he won't do it again?"

She looked to the ground and said, "He might, but there's something about him I can't stay away from. We've had so much history together and he can be really sweet sometimes." She turned her attention back to me. "Can't you just be happy for me?"

I saw something flicker behind her eyes, an emotion that disappeared before I could really comprehend what it was. I looked at her a little longer before replying. "I just don't want to see you getting hurt by him again. But if he makes you happy, then of course I'm happy for you." I smiled as sincerely as I could to show her that I wasn't kidding. She studied my face and seemed to be satisfied with my reply, simply nodding.

Without another word, we finished walking the length of the course and headed back for her car. The ride back was silent once again, but this time it wasn't tense or awkward. We were each lost in our own thoughts. I was silently thinking about what had just occurred and what might possibly occur come Monday when I would see Oliver again. He's going to see us hanging out together at school and is going to want to know things. This brought my full attention to the present and I quickly turned to Miley.

"Hey, Miles? Can I ask a favor of you?"

"Sure, shoot."

"When we go to school on Monday, do you mind if we pretend that we aren't friends still?"

She frowned and briefly glanced at me. "What? Why?"

"Well, I don't know how Oliver feels about you, so seeing us together might raise some hellish questions. I want to explain it to him before he sees it with his own eyes and blows up at me. I don't want him to think that I went behind his back on purpose. I know he's understanding but I don't know how much."

She smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I understand. You have my word."

I sighed with relief, feeling a little bit better but not by much. "Thank you. You're the best friend a girl could ever have."

She reached my house and pulled into the driveway, turning to give me a smug grin. "I know."

I playfully swatted her arm and climbed out of the vehicle, shutting the door behind me and walking around to her side of the car. She rolled the window down and asked, "Is it safe to hang out tomorrow?"

"I wish I could say yes, but you never know. Oliver might get back early and surprise me."

Miley looked disappointed. "True. I guess I'll see you at school. After you take care of Oliver of course and if he'll let you."

"Yeah. We'll see how that goes. Just know that no matter what he says, I'm not going to stop being friends with you. You're as much a part of my life as he is. I just need to let him know in a way he'll understand."

"Well, I hope it ends up falling more on the good side than the bad. Good luck with that."

"Thanks. I'll need all the luck in the world."

She smiled. "Bye Lilly. I'm really glad that we could be friends again."

"Right back atcha. Talk to you later Miles."

I backed away from her car and watched as she rolled the window back up and waved goodbye to me. I waved back as she threw the car into reverse and backed out of my driveway. I stayed in that same spot, watching her until she drove out of sight. Yes, Monday was going to be a very interesting day indeed.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I feel bad about this chapter taking as long as it did for me to write. I feel even worse that it's not as long as the other ones. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me about my utter lack of staying up-to-date? I'm sorry if I lost any readers, but just remember that I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to leave anything unfinished.

With that said, I see this story having about two more chapters, depending on wherever the characters decide to take me. I'm actually surprised that it's turning out longer than I had anticipated. It was originally meant to be no longer than a twoshot. As we can all see, that didn't work out. Oh well. This story was just meant to be told in an extended form. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**__** I want to apologize for taking so long with this chapter. School has consumed my time, making it very difficult for me to write anything. I'm trying to adjust my schedule so I can make time for it, but it's not exactly working out. I'm trying my best though, so just bear with me. I want to thank all the readers and reviewers who have stuck with me this far after my long absence. You guys are the best! It is for this very reason (as well as my own personal enjoyment) that I'm choosing to write anything at all. Without you, I probably would have given up. So thanks again! Now, on to the story!**_

CHAPTER 4

I woke up Monday morning feeling nervous. Today was the day. I was going to tell Oliver that Miley and I had become friends over the weekend. I was scared about how he would react. Would he blow up and break it off with me…again? Or would he accept it for what it was? I hoped it was more of the latter. I guess my biggest concern dealt with trust. After what had happened, would he trust us enough to allow us to hang out together when he wasn't around? I didn't want Oliver to break up with me, and at the same time, I couldn't stop being friends with Miley. I loved both of them dearly, in different ways, and the idea of having to live without either of them was unbearable. That much was certain during that entire week I didn't have either of them.

Sighing, I climbed out of bed and set about doing my normal morning routine of getting ready for school. Once I was finished getting dressed, I headed downstairs and ate a quick breakfast. I had talked to Oliver on the phone last night and asked him if he could meet me at the school fifteen minutes before it started. I wanted to get this off my chest as soon as possible, plus give him the chance to think it over throughout the day if he had to. I yelled goodbye to my mom, who was upstairs in her room doing who knows what, and left the house, backpack slung over my shoulder and skateboard in hand.

As I dropped my board on the sidewalk and slowly pushed off in the direction of the school, my mind went to the two important people in my life. I wanted to walk with Miley, like we always used to, but I knew she most likely wouldn't be ready this early. Plus, I did tell her to pretend that we weren't friends, at least until I told Oliver about us. Poor Ollie-pop. I knew this wasn't fair to him, but what could I do? I can't explain it but Miley and I seem to have this powerful connection. No matter how many times we fought in the past (which was quite a bit), we always managed to forgive and forget. That's how it's always been. It's one of those things that made our friendship so strong. I couldn't just let something like that go, even if Oliver dropped to his knees and begged for it. I just couldn't.

Then again, the same could be said for Oliver. He WAS my boyfriend and even though we don't share the same kind of connection as I do with Miley, something's definitely there. It's just..different from Miley's. I don't know how it's different, but I can just tell it is. Ok, first thing's first. I just have to figure out how to break the news to Oliver. It can't be that hard, right? Before I knew it, I spotted the school in the distance, and standing there next to the front doors like he said he would was Oliver. I felt my heart start to pound furiously beneath my ribcage. I was almost certain that I was going to have a heart attack.

He spotted me rolling up and a smile broke out on his face. I put a halt to my board just before I reached him and kicked the end down, causing it to pop up from the ground and land in my hand.

"Hey Lilly-pop."

He bent over slightly and gave me a warm, gentle kiss. It wasn't too long or too short but just the right length of time. I pulled away from him and avoided looking into his eyes. I was afraid that if I did, I would blurt everything out. I could only imagine how disastrous that would be. His voice broke me out of my small stupor.

"So, you said you wanted to talk to me about something, right? Is everything okay?"

Still avoiding his eyes, I responded, "Yeah, of course. Why would anything be wrong?"

He paused slightly. "Well first, you didn't want to tell me over the phone, saying it was best if I was told in person. Second, instead of telling me during the normal school hours, you asked to meet early. And last, you've been avoiding my eyes the moment you got here."

My own eyes widened. He actually noticed? Of course he noticed, you idiot! You're his girlfriend and he's not the same doughnut he used to be. I cautiously looked up and was met with a pair of concerned eyes looking back into mine. It broke my heart a little. Here he was, worried that something bad was going on in my life, and what was my reason for him being here? To tell him that I was friends with Miley again, the girl who he probably never wanted to see! Wow, Truscott. You should be ashamed of yourself. I realized he was still waiting for me to say something.

I cleared my throat and nodded my head towards the front doors of the school. "Come on."

He gave me a confused look. "Where are we going?"

I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the building. "To my locker silly. I want to put my skateboard up."

This was partially true. While I did want to get rid of my board, the main reason was to buy myself some time. It probably wasn't the best idea in the world. I could feel my resolve crumbling and wondered if I would have the guts to tell him. He was going to eventually find out anyway. Why was it so hard? It's not like I was cheating on him or something. Yet, that's exactly how I felt. Like I was cheating on him. But why would I feel that way? I don't have feelings for Miley like that. Even if I did, I'm not a cheater. It goes against everything I believe in. Especially after one of my ex-boyfriends did it to me. I knew how it felt to be cheated on, and there was no way in hell I was going to put someone else in that position either. It's just wrong.

I could feel Oliver occasionally casting a glance in my direction every few seconds. He remained quiet during the entire walk to my locker. I felt bad for making him worry, but I just couldn't find the ability to tell him what he needed to know. Maybe I should just let it out and hope for the best. No, it didn't seem like that would turn out well. A text message? Nah, too juvenile. A note! No, too much…writing. Gosh, I can be lazy sometimes!

I had to think of something fast. My window of thought was closing quickly as we approached my locker. Oliver leaned against the one next to mine as I put in my combination and opened it. I could still feel his eyes on me as I settled my skateboard into the confined area and began switching out books that I would need for the first couple of classes. I took my time doing all of this on purpose. I still didn't know what I was going to do, so I took advantage of my procrastination skills and continued to hold off on saying anything.

Oliver was having none of that. "Lilly, stop."

I ignored his request and continued to mess around inside my locker. "What do you mean stop? Stop what?"

He touched my arm and used his other hand to gently grab me by the chin, forcing me to look at him. "Something's wrong. What aren't you telling me?"

Looking into his eyes was a big mistake. The hurt and worry reflected in them tugged at my heartstrings. It was now or never. I sighed and gently pulled away from his hold on me. "There actually is something I have to tell you Oliver. I'm just not sure how you're going to take it."

His look of concern immediately changed into that of heartbreak. "Are you break-"

"No! No, no, no. Don't worry. I'm not breaking up with you."

Relief washed over his features for a second before being replaced by worry again. "So what is it that you're afraid of telling me?"

Here goes. "It has to do with Mi-"

_RIIIIIIINNNNNG!_

Unbelievable! I finally gathered the courage to tell him, was actually in the MIDDLE of telling him, and the stupid school bell had to ring! Up until that point, there had only been a handful of students lingering in the hallways, gradually growing with each passing minute. At the sound of that first bell, the halls were suddenly flooded with more bodies. I looked at Oliver and he still had that worried expression on his face.

Not paying attention to the sudden swarm of the other students around us, he asked, "It has to do with your what?"

I shook my head and said, "Not here. Not now. This is something I want to tell you in private."

He furrowed his brows slightly. "Why can't you tell me now?"

"I just can't."

Oliver didn't say anything more. He just pursed his lips and got this thoughtful look in his eyes. After a few seconds, he nodded his head. "Just promise you'll tell me before the day's over, okay?"

I gave him a small smile. "I promise."

"Good. I'll see you at lunch then. I got to get stuff from my locker before I'm late for class."

Rather than moving right away, he stayed where he was and looked at me for a second longer before pulling me into a hug. If I didn't feel bad before, boy was it hitting me now! It only worsened with what he said next.

"I love you. It hurts me to see you like this."

I didn't respond. How could I after hearing him say something like that? The only thing I could do was return his embrace. It ended much too soon and all I was left with was the feeling of guilt as I watched him walk away. I can't believe this didn't work the way I had originally planned. Then again, nothing I ever planned worked out accordingly. Still deep in thought, I made sure I had everything I needed before I closed my locker and shuffled off to class.

I sat at my desk and pulled out a spiral notebook, opening it to a clean page. As my mind continued to churn out thoughts about Oliver, I began to mindlessly doodle in my notebook. I found that it helped me to clear my thoughts, plus it was pretty fun. Today was different, however. I wasn't paying attention to anything except what had transpired earlier. It was only when a folded up piece of paper landed on my desk that I was brought out of my occupied state and into the real world. I looked up from what I was doing and realized that class was already in full swing. I didn't even hear the last two bells ring. My eyes wandered around the room until my gaze landed on Miley, who took one look at me and motioned towards the folded up paper on my desk with her head. It was then that I became aware that she was the one who threw it at me. Oliver wasn't in this class so it was safe for me to interact with her. I made sure the teacher wasn't looking before I picked up the paper, unfolded it and read what she wrote on there.

_**Did you tell him?**_

I quickly scribbled something down.

_No, I didn't get a chance to._

I looked to make sure I wasn't being watched and tossed it back to her. A couple of minutes later, she threw it back in my direction.

_**Why not?**_

_I stalled at first and then the bell rang._

_**Loser. So he doesn't know anything?**_

_Well, duh. If he did I would have told you so._

_**Smartass.**_

_It's better than being a dumbass._

…_**so.**_

_Lol, who's the loser now?_

_**At least I wasn't the one who chickened out!**_

_I didn't chicken out!_

_**Then how come he still doesn't know?**_

_I don't know. I just don't want him being mad at you!_

_**Awww, so you're saying you care about me? :')**_

_Yeah, sure. We'll go with that. ;)_

_**And here I thought you loved me… :(**_

_Oh, yes. You're ALL I think about!_

_**I knew it! How dare you not tell me!**_

_What can I say? I've been pining for you since we became friends._

_**Gee, is that what you tell all the ladies?**_

_No, just the ones I really like. ;)_

_**Why Ms. Truscott, I do believe I'm blushing.**_

The bell suddenly rang, cutting me off from writing down anything else. Which was good considering that we had completely filled up the sheet of paper. We waved goodbye to each other before exiting the room, knowing that once we entered the vicinity of the hallways, there would be a chance that Oliver would see us. As I walked to my next class, I read over the conversation I had with Miley via paper. I started slowing down the closer I got to the end. Was I flirting with Miley? The more I kept reading the piece of paper over and over, the more I realized that I actually was. It shouldn't have been a big deal. I mean that's how we were before. We engaged in meaningless flirting. It didn't mean anything. Even after what had happened at the beach, I didn't think Miley would try anything like that at all. Especially since she now had Jake as a boyfriend. So why was I suddenly paying attention now? I shrugged it off and continued on to class.

By the time lunch came around, I was a mess. I had spent the last couple of classes driving myself crazy. First of all, I couldn't stop thinking about Oliver. I really did feel bad for causing him to worry like he did earlier that morning. The guilt was eating away at me. I had to tell him and soon. Secondly, the paper conversation with Miley reared its ugly head and swallowed me whole, taking me by complete surprise. Like I said, I knew Miley wasn't going to try anything on me, so why couldn't I stop thinking about us flirting with each other? I wasn't thinking bad thoughts either. If anything, I think I kind of…_liked_ the idea of it. But that's crazy, right? I was in love with Oliver, and Miley was just my best friend. So why did I feel confused about everything? Man, I think I need a shrink. Oh, and the last reason I was a mess? Simple: I was starving!

When the last bell rang, signaling to everyone that it was now lunchtime, I grabbed my backpack and shot up from my desk, bolting out of the room and heading for my locker to deposit my things. I quickly put in my combination, squeezed my backpack into any available area that wasn't occupied by my skateboard and books and proceeded into the cafeteria. I was a girl on a mission. I didn't want to think about anything anymore. The only thing I got out of it was a headache. Right now my stomach was rumbling so hard I was afraid of causing an earthquake. That was my first priority. Maybe I'd do a lot better on a full stomach.

I grabbed nearly everything I could off the counter. I sure did love food, even more so when I was hungry. I spotted an empty table and made my way over, hoping that no one would beat me to it. I put my tray on the table and sat down, a huge grin on my face. Mission accomplished! I wasted no time and delved right into my lunch. I was too busy shoveling food into my mouth and didn't notice when Oliver sat beside me.

"Slow down, Lilly. It's not going anywhere."

I jumped out of my skin and started choking a little since I was in mid-swallow when he said that. He noticed this and began to lightly pound on my back, trying to free up my airways. I grabbed the drink perched on my tray and began to chug, taking huge swallows until there was no longer any traces of food in the back of my throat. I put my drink back down and glared at him, swatting his arm.

"Geez Oliver, already trying to kill me off?"

He looked apologetically at me. "Sorry. I thought you knew I was right here. I should've known that you wouldn't be paying attention to anything but the food in front of you."

I looked at him incredulously. "That's not true! I was totally paying attention to everything!"

He smirked at me and said, "Yeah, right. I think we both know how you are when it comes to food."

I opened my mouth to say something back, but ended up closing it in defeat. "You're right. I can't help it though. The stuff's too wonderful!" I gave him a sheepish smile and he chuckled in response.

"You are something else. You know that, right?"

With a proud look on my face, I said, "Of course I am."

The rest of the lunch period went by uneventful. We talked about random things and just enjoyed each other's company. I could tell he wanted to ask questions about this morning, but never once did he press on the subject. I was glad because I didn't want to talk about it just yet. I still had a small headache from all the thinking I had done, and the only thing that would've happened was me getting frustrated and snapping at him. I had concluded that I would tell him after school, when it was just the two of us. By then, I would have rebuilt my confidence and wouldn't have to worry about any interruptions. Nothing could possibly go wrong, other than if he had a negative reaction. I just had to take this one step at a time. Don't worry about his reaction now. Just worry about telling him first.

The bell rang and we went our separate ways, each of us going to our own lockers. I stopped at mine and grabbed the things I needed out of there. I shut the locker door and turned around to head off to my next class, only to run into someone who was passing by. I bounced off their body a little, causing me to stumble and go the short distance of hitting the lockers behind me. It didn't hurt at all, just stunned me from the unexpectedness. On instinct, I looked at the person to apologize to them.

"I'm so sor… Jake."

Standing before me was none other than Jake Ryan, a person I despised beyond belief. It surprised me sometimes how much I didn't like him. I never dwelled on it, figuring the reason behind it was because of the trouble he always seemed to cause Miley. Call me overprotective if you will, but I hated seeing how much heartache he caused. There's not much to like when that's what you're known for. He stood there looking unfazed, a charming smile on his face. Well, what the other girls would call charming at least. I didn't buy into his phony game.

"No Lilly. It's my fault. I should have been looking out more."

I retorted, "Maybe you should have."

A look of surprise flashed across his features from the sharpness in my tone. I didn't care. I walked off before he could say anything else to me. I really wasn't in the mood to talk to him, not that I would ever be. I had far more important things on my mind. There was no time for dilly-dallying. I entered my classroom in the nick of time, right before the tardy bell rang. Hence beginning the rest of my boring afternoon in school.

As the end of school crept closer, my heart was pounding more and more and the butterflies in my stomach had turned into giant bats. I was sitting in the last class of the day, constantly looking up at the clock while trying to remain calm and thinking about anything except what was to happen once school ended. I tried paying attention to the lesson, but couldn't concentrate. I tried to doodle in my notebook again. Nothing. I was a nervous wreck. I don't even know why I was making such a big deal out of this. All I had to do was tell Oliver about my rekindled friendship with Miley. He had to understand once I explained everything to him. And like I said before, it's not like I did anything with her, nor was I planning to. I just wanted things to go back to the way they were. Heck, even Jake might be able to help out with the situation. As much as I hated to admit it, he could probably convince Oliver that Miley had moved on. Looks like the egotistical boy had some uses after all.

_RIIIIIIINNNNNG!_

I tensed up at the sound of the bell. The time was here. There was no escaping it now. But being the stubborn-headed person I've always been, I waited until everyone else had left the room before I slowly got up, gathered my things and exited the door. I dragged myself at a snail's pace on purpose. I knew this little game of stalling was going to have to end soon. Oliver deserved to know and I needed to stop the crazy whirlwind of thoughts that was driving me to the breaking point. It would do both of us good. I went to my locker to retrieve my skateboard and once again switch out books and grab the other stuff I would need for homework that night. Oliver came walking up to me as I was still trying to get everything situated.

"Hey, Lilly-pop. How'd your day go?"

I shoved a book into my locker and grabbed another one out before responding, "Oh, you know. The same old boring day it tends to be."

I finally got what I needed and grabbed my board, shutting the door closed before turning to fully acknowledge him. He had an unreadable expression on his face, but deep down I knew he was still worried about me. I didn't want to make him wait any longer, but before we could talk, I had to make sure that we would be in a private place. He opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it.

"Let's go to my house. My mom won't be home until later. We can talk there."

"Your mom won't say anything about us being there alone?"

"Honestly, I don't really care at this point."

"Lilly, I don't want you getting in trouble. Not if I have anything to do with it."

"We need to talk, Oliver. If I get in trouble, then I get in trouble. Right now this needs to be done, and I don't know anywhere else we could go that would grant us that privacy."

He pondered over it for a minute before nodding his head. "Okay. I'm just worried about you."

I couldn't help but give him a genuine smile. "I know and I appreciate you looking out for me."

I leaned up and gave him a small peck on the lips. He smiled back at me and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back as tightly as one could with a skateboard in their hand. I immediately melted into his warm gesture. There was something about being in his arms that made me feel safe. I always felt happy and content and I never wanted the feeling to end. I knew it had to though, so I pulled away and grabbed his hand, interlocking our fingers together. I started to lead the way towards the front of the school when an annoying voice broke through the air.

"So I heard about the good news."

We turned to the source of the voice simultaneously and were granted with the presence of Jake standing before us, Miley standing behind him but at a small distance. She looked like she didn't want to be there. I suspected it was because of Oliver. Not because she didn't like him or anything, but because she wasn't sure if we had talked things out yet. She began to tug on Jake's arm.

"Jake, let's go. I have things I need to get done today."

I piped up. "Yeah, we have things to do too." I shot Miley a look and she understood that she needed to get her boyfriend out of there fast before he said something.

Oliver, being the oblivious guy he can be sometimes, ignored us and focused on Jake. "What good news?"

I started to panic. Jake wouldn't tell him, would he? I quickly said, "Nothing! Let's just go Oliver!" I tugged on his hand to get him moving, but he refused to budge.

"Lilly, what's the big idea? Why are you acting so strange?"

Jake spoke again. "Oh, she didn't tell you did she?"

Oliver let go of my hand and looked at me. "Tell me what?"

Miley tried to take control of the situation again. "Jake, just shut up and let's go!"

Oliver turned and took a step towards Miley and Jake. "No! Not until you tell me what Jake's talking about!"

"Ollie-pop, please let's just go. I'll tell you everything but only when we get to my house."

He turned back to me. "So you know what he's talking about?"

I could see the hurt in his eyes. My throat dried up and I found I could no longer form words, so I just nodded my head. The next words that flew into the air made me want to kill the person who spoke them.

"She more than just knows. I'm surprised she didn't mention that she became friends with Miley again over the weekend."

_**Author's Afterword:**__** Grrr, stupid Jake Ryan! So there you have it. The fourth chapter. I actually didn't know how this chapter was going to end up. I just kept typing and the words just kept coming. I've decided that I'm going to try and make this a little bit of a longer story than I had originally intended. I don't know if I'll accomplish that task, but I'm going to try. I still have the ending pictured out in my head. It's just a matter of how I'm going to get there. Anyway, review and let me know what you think so far. Good or bad, I can take both. Thanks to all who have stuck with me, especially **__**AlvinFan07**__** (who's managed to review every chapter so far). You don't know how much that means to me. Thanks again and happy reading!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Foreword:**__ Hey everyone! Sorry, but I was having a little trouble with this chapter. It seems a little something called writer's block decided to pay me a visit. Don't worry though. I kicked 'em out and now here we are! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Now get to reading!_

CHAPTER 5

For a while, silence was in the air. Nobody moved or said anything. I don't know what the others were thinking. All I knew was that I wanted to kill Jake. Not literally of course, but it still came pretty damn close. What the heck was he thinking when he decided to just come out and say it? I knew that Miley was going to let him know what was going on, but wouldn't she have told him to just keep it to himself for the time being? That's something I'll have to talk to her about later. Right now, I had to worry about what just unfolded.

I looked at Oliver to see what his reaction would be. Surprisingly, his face remained carefully neutral. His eyes were a different story. Just by looking at the random emotions that passed quickly behind them, I could tell the gears in his head were on overload. He was contemplating the new information that his brain just acquired. I was scared out of my mind. Was he mad that I kept this from him? It's not like I was going to keep it a secret from him forever. I did say that I had something important to tell him, and I wasn't sure how he was going to take it. I still wasn't sure.

He finally opened his mouth, and my heart seemed to have stopped. Everything was riding on the words that he was about to say. He looked at me, his face still not showing any emotion, and quietly asked, "You and Miley are friends again?"

I couldn't speak. I simply nodded.

"And it happened over the weekend when I was gone?"

Again, I nodded my head.

He looked thoughtful for a few seconds before opening his mouth again. "So you basically went behind my back?"

I snapped out of my untalkative state. "No! Oliver, it's not like that. It just…happened. I wanted to tell you but in person. I figured it was the right way to do things rather than say anything over the phone."

Oliver didn't speak. His gaze shifted to the ground and I could tell that he was thinking some more. I really hoped he wasn't planning on breaking up with me. I mean, why would he? I didn't do anything wrong. All I did was make amends with my best friend. He had to know that I wouldn't do anything to intentionally hurt him, right?

As I waited for him to collect his thoughts, I stole a glance towards Miley and that idiot she called her boyfriend. Jake was wearing a smug grin, seemingly proud of what he'd done. Boy, I just wanted to wipe that smirk off his face! I couldn't believe he blurted out something that was supposed to be between Oliver and me. I just glared at him and turned my attention to Miley. She had a somewhat scared expression on her face mixed with that of worry. She caught my eye and I could see the same emotions welling within them. I knew she was uncertain and a little scared about Oliver's next move. At that moment, I had the strangest and strongest urge to just pull her into a hug. To hold her and comfort her, letting her know that everything was going to be all right. I hated seeing the look that was currently on her face. Something had to be done and fast.

I turned back to Oliver. His silence was starting to make me nervous. "Are you mad?"

He studied me for a moment before breaking out into a gentle smile. "No, of course I'm not mad. I'm a little shocked from the sudden announcement, but at the same time, it doesn't surprise me."

I stared at him, my eyes probably as big as dinner plates. I almost couldn't believe what he just said. "Really?"

His smile grew a little wider. "Yes, really."

I studied his eyes for a moment, trying to see if he actually meant it or if he was just putting up a front. I didn't think Oliver would lie to me, but after everything that's occurred, it didn't hurt to be sure. After a quick scan, I could see nothing but love and sincerity reflecting back at me. I was now one hundred percent sure that he was being honest.

My face grew into a wide smile and before I could control myself, I launched my body at Oliver, gripping him tightly into the biggest hug ever. "You have NO idea how good it feels to hear you say that!"

He returned my embrace and gently laughed. "I think I have a pretty good idea."

I held onto him for a moment longer, contemplating on whether or not I should ask him the question that was currently on my mind. He was okay with Miley and me still being friends, but I didn't want to ruin that by asking something that'll bring up memories of what had happened. After all, it had barely been a little over two weeks. It was still a pretty fresh ordeal if you asked me, which brought my curiosity level even higher. I had to find out, but for the time being, I packed the question away for another day.

A clearing of the throat caused me to jump a little and I pulled away from Oliver. I turned to the source and found Jake staring at us with disinterest while Miley had her attention on the ground in front of her. I can't believe I forgot they were there! Oliver's positive reaction made me forget about everything else that was going on around me.

I turned back to Oliver. "Ollie, do you think you can bring your car up to the front of the school like you did last time?"

He smiled at me. "Sure. Are we still going to your house or do you feel like doing something else?"

"We'll go to my house still." I turned to Miley and Jake. "Do you guys want to come with?"

Miley quickly responded before Jake could open his mouth. "Thanks but we have some stuff we gotta take care of. Maybe next time?"

I nodded while Oliver said, "That's cool. Lilly, just meet me out there in a couple of minutes, okay?" And with that, he walked down the hallway and was gone.

As soon as he left the building, I turned on Jake fast. Without thinking, I smacked his arm and said, "What the hell were you thinking? Why did you just blurt out that thing about Miley and me?"

Jake held out his hands in defense. "Whoa, whoa chica! Calm down. I thought that's what you wanted anyway."

I let out an exasperated sigh. "I did but on MY terms. Not yours. Miley, didn't you tell him anything about keeping that to himself?"

Miley gave Jake a little glare. "Yes, I did actually."

Jake just shrugged. "Why beat around the bush? Isn't it better to get things out in the open than keep it bottled up inside?"

I couldn't keep the steam from pouring out of my ears. "What are you talking about? I wasn't beating around the bush! I was going to-"

"Then why did Miley tell me that you stalled on telling him all day today?"

I briefly hesitated. "I was nervous! Not to mention that it was earlier in the day. Did you not hear me tell Oliver that we were going to talk once we got out of here?"

That stupid smirk of his appeared. "No I didn't. Are you sure you said it?"

Before I could say anything back, Miley stepped in. "Guys look. It happened and he's okay with it. Can we please just move on?"

I was going to make a remark about that not happening anytime soon, but Miley's pleading eyes made me stop. I immediately felt a pang of guilt about snapping at her boyfriend. Why? I don't really know. We both knew that I couldn't stand Jake. Why on earth would I feel guilty about ripping him a new one? Then I realized that wasn't the reason at all. No, I was feeling bad because in a way, I was hurting Miley by going after her boyfriend. And hurting her was the last thing I wanted to do. Ever.

Along with that realization, I also felt a small twitch in my heart. Was I ever that willing to stop for Miley before? I mean, I knew in the past I always did just because she was my best friend. This time however, I couldn't help but feel that it was much more stronger. Somehow, my feelings for Miley felt a little deeper than before. Maybe it's because I just got her back as a friend and I didn't want to risk losing her again. Yeah. That had to be it. I'm just afraid we'll go back to those "dark days".

I looked at Jake once again, still wearing that smirk. I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at him. Without looking at Miley, I said, "I gotta go. See you later Miley."

I gripped my skateboard in my hand, almost forgotten at this point, as I made my way towards the exit. There were so many things that I wanted to say to Jake, but for the sake of Miley I wasn't going to let them be heard.

Jake's voice floated down the hall and assaulted my ears. "Aw, what's wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

I almost stopped to let him know a piece of my mind, but Miley's look from before flashed into my head. So instead, I gritted my teeth and walked a little faster, practically plowing through the front doors of the school as I reached them. I spotted Oliver waiting in his car and made my way towards him. I really, really hate Jake Ryan.

* * *

So, right now it's Friday once again (I just love Fridays in case you couldn't tell), and I'm sitting at the lunch table with Oliver and Miley. Fortunately, Jake wasn't in school today. Why? I could care less. I'm just glad he wasn't there to bother me. Who knows what would've happened if he and I were sitting at the same table together. Wait, actually I do know. All hell would break loose. Plain and simple. Anyway, enough about that egomaniac. As I was saying, it's Friday and Oliver just delivered up some awesome news.

"Are you guys gonna go to that party later tonight?"

I couldn't keep the excitement out of my voice. "A party? Hell yeah! Where's it gonna be at?"

"At Gabe Lammatti's house. According to him, his parents will be out of town all weekend so he has the house to himself."

"Awesome! I'm definitely there! How about you Miley? Are you gonna make an appearance?"

Miley bit her lower lip and looked at the table. "I'm not sure. Probably not."

My jaw dropped. "What? Why not?"

"It would feel a little weird to go without Jake."

I rolled my eyes. "Miley. You've gone to plenty of other places without him. What's the difference between those times and going with us tonight?"

Oliver cleared his throat nervously. "Actually, I'm not going."

I snapped my head towards him. "You're not going?"

He shook his head. "Nope. I can't."

"No, not you too." I gave him a mean look. "Well, if you weren't going, then why did you even bring it up in the first place?"

He shrugged. "Just wondering, I guess."

I gave him my best puppy dog look. "Please? For me?"

"Lilly, it's not that I don't want to. I'm gonna be kind of busy tonight."

"Doing what?"

He looked away and mumbled something under his breath.

"Huh?"

He faced me but didn't look into my eyes as he muttered something in a low voice.

"Oliver I still can't hear you."

"I said I'm working tonight!"

I was taken aback. "Working? You have a job?"

He sighed before responding, "Yes. After school I start my shift."

I glanced at Miley. She had the same look of disbelief that I'm pretty sure was on my face too. I looked back at Oliver. "How come I didn't know anything about this?"

"Cause today's my first day."

I nodded. "Where do you work at?"

Oliver kind of slumped. "I'm a bag boy at that one grocery store that's near my house."

I couldn't help but laugh at the mental image I got of Oliver in a uniform. It didn't take long for Miley to join in. Even though I never stepped foot inside that place, I heard about the ridiculous outfits they made you wear. Something none of us would be caught dead in. At least until now.

He just glared at us as we continued laughing. "It's not that funny!"

I wiped a tear that had made its way down my cheek and tried to stop the best I could. "I'm sorry Ollie-pop, but I had a mental image of you and couldn't help it."

He pouted. Miley and I finally stopped, but a smile still lingered on our faces. I slung my arm around him and leaned my head on his shoulder. "Don't worry. You're still my doughnut."

The bell rang before he could say anything. We all stood up from the table and exited the cafeteria, heading straight for our lockers. Since Oliver's locker wasn't in close distance, he gave me a quick peck on the lips and headed off in its general direction.

I turned to Miley as she opened her locker. I didn't need anything out of mine so I just leaned on the one next to hers. "Come on Miley. Say you'll go to the party with me? I really want to go and now that Oliver can't, I don't want to be there by myself."

"I still don't know."

"How come? Yeah, Jake won't be there but neither will Oliver. It'll be just the two of us."

She closed her locker and looked at me. I used that to my advantage and gave her the puppy dog look I had given to Oliver mere minutes before. "Please? Come on. Be my date."

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Fine, fine. But only cause that puppy dog face is hard to say no to."

I jumped up and clapped my hands together. "Thanks Miles! You're the best friend a girl could ever ask for!"

"So I've been told."

We headed to our next class that we happened to share. "What time are you picking me up?"

She looked at me funny. "Why do I have to pick you up? Aren't you the one who asked me to be your date? So shouldn't _you_ be the one to pick _me_ up?"

I grinned at her. "Well, I don't exactly have a car. Unless you want to hitch a ride with me on my skateboard, I'd be more than happy to pick you up."

"Dang flabbit! I completely forgot. Lilly, why can't you be normal like the rest of us and get yourself a car already?"

My grin grew wider. "You just said it yourself. Cause I'm not normal."

She smirked. "Trust me, I know. Look, why don't you just come to my house after school? That way, we can leave together and I won't have to worry about getting you."

We entered the classroom and sat down in our seats, with her behind me. I turned in my chair. "Wait, what about an outfit? I still have to go home for that."

"Well, I GUESS I can let you borrow one of mine."

I raised an eyebrow. "You guess?"

"Don't worry. You know I will."

At that moment, the bell rang and the teacher strode in. I faced the front as he began his lecture, all thoughts of the upcoming party pushed aside. I couldn't wait for school to be over.

* * *

We arrived at the party while it was in full swing. As we made our way to the house booming with music and loud teenagers, Miley pushed a button on her key thing, locking the doors to her car. A couple was busy making out near the doorway as Miley and I pushed our way past them to get inside. I chuckled at the sight and grabbed Miley's hand, pulling her behind me towards the living room. We stopped near a couch that had been pushed into the back corner, noting that there was another couple on the far end also making out.

I let go of Miley's hand and gently pushed her onto the opposite side. I leaned down and pressed my mouth right up to her ear so she could hear me over the loud music. "Want anything to drink?"

She repeated the action to me. "Yeah. Anything's fine."

I nodded and left her there as I pushed my way past the throng of grinding bodies that were dancing in the middle of the area. I reached the kitchen with minimal damage and noticed that there was someone operating a keg. I grabbed one of the plastic red cups sitting on the counter and filled it up with the punch sitting next to it, carefully tasting to see if there was any alcohol. Nope. Safe as can be. I was about to grab another one for myself when the guy with the keg acknowledged me.

"Yo, how 'bout you drink some of this instead?" He held out another red cup to me. I could only guess there was beer from the keg in it.

I shook my head. "Uh, no thanks. I don't want any."

"Come on! It's a party. You gotta drink at least one."

I hesitated. What he said was true. It _was_ a party. It couldn't hurt to drink just one, could it? I don't know what came over me, but before I knew it, I grabbed the cup and took a swallow. Big mistake. The stuff tasted like crap and I nearly spit it out.

"How the hell can you drink this? It tastes like piss!"

He chuckled. "First time, huh?"

Again, I don't know what came over me. I guess I wanted to look cool or something because I brought the cup up to my lips and chugged the entire thing. Another big mistake.

I handed the cup back to him with a smug grin. "That answer your question?"

He just looked at me with shock. Slowly, he began to smile. "Well alright then! You sure fooled me! Want some more?"

Before I could tell him no, he filled my cup up again and handed it to me. I was beginning to feel a little weird. But it was the good kind. I've never had a taste of alcohol in my life, and if only one cup of the stuff did this to me, what about two? I didn't want to look like a loser in front of him, so I began to sip from it. After thanking the guy, I made my way back to Miley with her cup. I plopped down next to her feeling completely relaxed. I handed her the drink as I started to take bigger gulps from my own. Every sip was starting to taste better and better. I liked the way it was making me feel.

I turned to Miley and leaned towards her so she could hear me. "Miss me?"

She scrunched up her nose. "Lilly, are you drinking beer? I can kind of smell it on your breath."

I nodded enthusiastically. "It's awesome! You should try some."

She shook her head. "No thanks. I'm driving remember? Besides, you shouldn't be drinking either."

I threw my arm around her shoulders casually. "Relax! Tell you what. I won't drink anymore after this, okay?" I started drinking from my cup again only to find it was empty. Bummer. I didn't realize how fast I was downing the stuff.

I turned back to her. "Hey, I'll be back. I'm gonna go get another drink."

As I lifted myself off the couch, she grabbed my hand, forcing me to stop and look at her. "You're not gonna get any more beer, are you?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "No."

I quickly shook my hand from hers and made my way back to the kitchen. I started to laugh as I walked less straight than I wanted to. Oh yeah. After two cups I was feeling pretty damn good. Heck, every time I turned my head it seemed like the world was taking its time to catch up. Well, kind of. I'm just a little sad that I wasn't going to be drinking anymore. If two cups did that, I wondered what even more would do. I was definitely curious and wanting to find out.

The same guy was there and he seemed to remember me right away. I was going to get myself a different kind of drink this time, but he started talking to me again.

"Hey, baby girl! Coming back for more?"

I guess the alcohol in my system prevented me from really hearing anything. Instead of making a remark about him calling me "baby girl" like I normally would have, I heard the second part instead. As tempting as it sounded, I knew that I had told Miley I wouldn't drink anymore. But then again, I didn't exactly _promise_ her…

I gave the guy a goofy smile. "Of course! Why else would I be here?"

He laughed and grabbed an empty cup from beside him. "That's the spirit!"

He filled it up and handed it to me. I drank about half of it and noticed an increase in the good feelings it was producing. I was definitely tipsy now. It wouldn't take much more for me to be three sheets to the wind. Honestly, I didn't care. This felt way too good to stop. And it could only get better.

I took a look at the guy in front of me. "So what's your name?"

He sipped from a cup that I just now noticed he had in his hands. "Mark. And you?"

"Lilly. How come you're in here by yourself?"

He grinned. "It's always fun to man the keg. I get to meet all kinds of interesting, drunk people."

I laughed. Why? I don't know. He just made me feel like it. "I'm guessing that includes me?"

"You betcha."

We stayed that way in a comfortable silence. I liked this guy. He seemed carefree and content. Before I knew it, my cup was empty once again. I gestured to Mark and he filled it up for me. Suddenly, his eyes brightened up.

"Hey, you want to see who can drink their cup the fastest?"

Never one to pass up a challenge, I said, "You're on!"

He refilled his and on the count of three, we both began to chug our cups like there was no tomorrow. Some of the beer dripped out the sides and down my chin, but that didn't matter. I was having fun with my new friend Mark. I pulled the empty cup away from my lips, sure that I had won. I looked and saw that we had finished at about the same time. I grinned at him, and he grinned back at me.

"Wow. You're a hell of a drinker, Lilly. I like that!"

I laughed and said, "Why thank you. You're not too bad yourself."

I heard the kitchen door open and turned to see who had come in. Oh crap. I completely forgot about Miley! She stood there, looking back and forth between Mark, the keg, and me. It was then that I noticed how blurry my surroundings were. It wasn't really bad, but enough to notice a difference. Man, I was more gone than I had thought. Oh well. I sure as hell wasn't complaining. As a matter of fact, I think I'll grab another one. Turning back to Mark, I motioned for him to give me some more. While he did that, I turned back to Miley and gave her the best cheery smile I could.

"Hey Miles! What's up?"

She looked incredulously at us. "Lilly, I thought you said you weren't going to drink anymore! How many have you had?"

I shrugged and responded, "Not enough."

I heard Mark laugh and turned to look at him. He held his hand out and I gave him a high five. Grabbing my cup back from him, I drank from it and turned back to Miley. She was staring at me like I had three heads.

"What's the big deal Miley? This is a party and I'm having fun. What's wrong with that?"

Before she could say anything, Mark spoke up. "You gonna introduce me to your friend, Lilly?"

"Oh yeah! Mark, this is my best friend Miley. Miley, this is my drinking buddy Mark."

Miley didn't seem interested in introductions. I looked at Mark and just shrugged as I brought my drink up to my lips. I had barely taken a sip before I felt it being yanked out of my hand, some of it spilling on me. I watched with horror as Miley drained it down the sink.

"Geez Miles, why'd you do that? I wasn't finished with it!"

She gave me a stern look and grabbed my arm. "Yes you were. We're leaving now!"

I pulled away from her grasp. "Like hell we are! You can go but I'm staying!"

"No you're not! Look at yourself. You're drunk off your ass and you're slurring your words!"

I looked at her confused. "What are you talking about? I'm not slurring. I'm talking normal."

"Lilly, you're drunk. You think you're talking normal but you're not. I should know. I'm the sober one here!"

She grabbed my arm again and pulled me away from the kitchen. I tried fighting out of her grip but gave up when I realized she had an iron grasp. I was having a little trouble walking straight, but she pulled me right along until we were outside by her car. She opened the passenger side and pushed me in, closing it once I was safely on the other side. I tried fumbling for the handle, but my coordination was a little off. She got into the driver's side faster than I expected and took off before I could manage to get the door open. Damn, why did she have to ruin my fun? I didn't even get to say goodbye to my new friend!

We remained quiet the entire ride back. I don't know what she was thinking but I refused to look at her. She made me mad and I didn't feel like talking to her. She finally pulled into the driveway of her house and turned off her car. Neither of us moved from our seats. Wait a minute. Her house? Why didn't she take me home?

"Miley, why are we here?"

When she didn't say anything, I turned to look at her, ready to chew her out. The silent tears making their way down her face stopped me. Why was she crying? Despite the fact I was mad at her, not to mention a little drunk, I went into best friend mode.

"Miley, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

She didn't answer me, instead choosing to wipe her eyes. Wow. Even in this state she looked as beautiful as ever. The tears and the moonlight shining in from the outside made the blue of her eyes pop out more brightly than ever before. I could probably get lost in them forever. My gaze shifted down to her nose. Her cute, little nose. It looked like a brilliant work of art. It was unique and went perfectly with her face. My eyes traveled downwards some more until they reached her lips. The nice, plump shape of them looked delectable. It made me want to suck-

WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! Back up. Rewind. What the HELL was that? Was I…no. Absolutely not. I was not just totally thinking **those** kinds of thoughts about my best friend. Uh uh. No way. I mean, it may be true but…NO! Lilly, stop thinking that right now! As a matter of fact, just stop thinking.

I needed to get out of the car. It was beginning to get a little too hot for my taste. Since Miley still hadn't answered me and it didn't look like she was going to take me home, I managed to get the door open and stepped out. The sight of Miley crying and me thinking about…well, you know…sort of sobered me up. Or at least I thought it did. That thought flew out the window once I stepped out of the car. Instead of standing, I fell to the ground in a heap like a dumbass. I started laughing, laying there like an idiot facedown on the ground. Could this night get any better? I suddenly felt gentle hands turn me over on my back and I looked up into Miley's concerned face. She sure does move a lot faster than I would have guessed.

"Lilly, are you okay?"

I laughed again. "Of course I'm okay, silly! I have a beautiful angel with me right now."

Okay wow. I had NO intention of that popping out of my mouth. Miley looked surprised for a second and I noticed her slight blush. I didn't know what else to do so I just grinned up at her. Being on this ground was sure making me sleepy. I could feel my eyes beginning to droop. Miley must have noticed this because she began to shake me a little.

"Don't fall asleep on me Lilly. Come on. We have to get to my room."

She helped my wobbly ass stand up, but apparently it wasn't enough because I began to sway in the opposite direction. We ended up hitting her passenger door. After getting my bearings, I laid my head against the cool exterior, sleep just around the corner as I slumped down the side until I was sitting on the ground, still leaning back against the door. I felt her move almost in front of me as she gently took a hold of my head. I slowly opened my eyes and noticed that she was kneeling almost directly in front of me.

"Come on Lilly. Try to stay awake for me."

I don't know if it was the alcohol, the need for sleep, or something else altogether that prompted me to do what I did next.

I just gave her a small smile and leaned forward. "Your lips look delicious. Can I taste them?" The last thing I remembered was pressing my lips gently against her soft ones before I completely blacked out.

_**Author's Afterword:**__ All right, another chapter complete! I know that kiss isn't exactly the Liley that everyone probably wants, but hey, it's better than nothing right? We're still getting there so you have nothing to worry about. I've got plenty of ideas for this story, which means many more chapters to come! How many? I don't know exactly, but they'll be there. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it (once I got past the writer's block, that is). It still felt kind of rushed to me. Oh well. What's done is done. I liked it so it stays._


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